Grey and Caycee's Pokemon Adventure
by DarkWeavile
Summary: Grey is an 19 year old boy who is afraid to make friends due to a reccuring nightmare, and his only friend is his shiny Sneasel, Caycee. However, the two of them set out on journey in Johto to destroy their lonely destiny.
1. Chapter 1: The Nightmare

Chapter 1: The Nightmare

My name is Grey Leni and this is my story... of how I destroyed destiny.

_Location: Seavault Canyon, Seven Island_

_365 Days Until Silver Conference_

"G'night, Caycee. Let's get some sleep" I said to my Sneasel as I crawled into bed. She cuddled up next to me to keep warm, as the heat in our shack was broken. We were leaving for our second journey the next day at noon, and needed a good night sleep. She was my only pokemon, and that is what caused me problems on our first journey.

_1 Month Earlier at the Indigo Platuea_

"What do you mean I can't enter the Indigo Conference!" I yelled at the woman behind the front desk. "We got eight badges! We traveled all over Kanto, defeating anyone in our way! And now you're telling me that we can't enter because we're alone!" The woman ended up calling security when we refused to leave, and that's how our first journey ended. After watching the conference on TV I realized I was probably crazy for trying to enter with only one pokemon with me. It's not that I don't like other people or pokemon, it's just that I have a hard time trusting anyone. Other than Caycee that is.

_2 Years Earlier; Tenoby Ruin, Seven Island_

I first met Caycee two years ago when exploring the Tenoby Ruins, the island ruins to the south of the canyon where I lived. I was examining a cave when I found a massive number of injured Unown lying on the ground. I remember so clearly; They spelled out "Destiny". When I went in deeper to find the cause, I found a pink Sneasel asleep on the ground, trembling in fear. I brought her back to my shack and let her sleep in my bed. When she finally woke up three days later, she explained (to the best of her ability, she can't speak English, after all) that she was attacked by something. I soon found out that she quite enjoyed fighting, and the two of us began training together. After spending a year together, I officially caught her and the two of us headed to the port in Vermillion City, where we began our journey.

_Back to the present day_

Caycee and I were fast asleep, so I didn't even here it come in. Since meeting Caycee, I would have frequent nightmares, and tonight was no exception. It was always the same thing; Caycee and I, along with 5 other pokemon along with other trainers and their pokemon (however I couldn't make out any faces), would be battling against a beam of light and once the smoke cleared, I would be all alone with only Caycee lying there dead. A dark voice when then whisper to me, "Destroy your destiny," at which point I would wake up.

This time, however, the voice at the end showed its face. It crept up out of the shadows, and I saw a pokemon like none I had ever seen. "Who are you?" I asked, however it was a good twenty seconds before the pokemon said anything. The pokemon then turned to me and said "I am Darkrai, the destroyer of your destiny." I opened my eyes and the pokemon was gone. It was morning, and it was time to start a new journey. These nightmares had left me terrified of trusting anyone other than Caycee, but it looked like that I didn't have a choice if I wanted to win the Silver Conference. I'd have to open my heart to others, no matter how scared I was.


	2. Chapter 2: The SS Polaris

Chapter 2: The S.S. Polaris

_Location: Seven Island Port_

_364 Days until Silver Conference_

Caycee and I walked to the ticket office for the S.S. Polaris, the cruise ship that traveled around the world to bring people to different pokemon league regions. It had already passed through Kanto and Sinnoh, and after passing through the Seven Island port, it would head to Hoenn before heading up to Olivine City in Johto.

"Hello I'm here to pick up my ticket and I.D. for the Johto Conference," I said to the man at the front desk. "My name is Grey Leni."

"Ya just fill out this form," he said and handed me a sheet of paper on a clipboard. I headed to a seat nearby and sat down. I scanned the room and saw at least 100 trainers just from the Sevii Islands (A relatively small area). I then began filling out the form.

Name: Grey Leni

Birthday: October 19, 1990

Height: 6'0

Weight: 170 Lbs

Pokemon on hand: Sneasel, None, None, None, None, None

Etc…

After I was finished, I brought the forms and went outside to wait for the ship. "Just 30 minutes left, Caycee." I said to my Sneasel, who was holding onto me like a backpack. "Then we'll be on our way to Johto. I guess meeting new people and pokemon won't be so bad. We'll win this time for su..."

"Well now, isn't that a pretty Sneasel" is all I heard before the boy ripped Caycee from my back. "Definitely too good for you." Caycee escaped his grip and returned to my side.

"Oh ya, and who are you? What gives u the right to decide how good I am?"

"My name is James, and I seek strong trainers. If you wish to prove me wrong, then do it in a battle." The young man was about my age, maybe little younger, with red hair and brown eyes. He was dressed all in red and had some stubble on his face.

"Fine! Let's go, Caycee!" I said, as she obeyed and jumped in front of me.

James took out a pokeball and threw it "Go, Tyrogue!" A small purple human like pokemon came out; fists clenched and ready to fight. "So what do you think, a fighting type to fight your Sneasel, seems like you're already at a disadvantage. Now Tyrogue, use Mach Punch!"

"Caycee dodge and use Ice Shard!" Right on cue, Caycee jumped out of the way and threw an icicle at the purple puncher. It got back up, still ready for more.

"Crush him Tyrogue, use Focus Punch!" His pokemon began to charge up, still unaware what I had in mind.

I just had to grin as I said "Use Aerial Ace, now!" and just like that his Tyrogue went flying. But it still wasn't enough, and his Focus Punch landed dead on. When both pokemon backed away they went in for repeat attacks. "Now get some extra air, Caycee!" and not only did she dodge his attack, but she won the fight as she landed a second Aerial Ace.

"Tyrogue, return. What's your name." said James as he returned his pokemon to its pokeball.

"Grey"

"Well Grey, you better get stronger, I was holding back." With that he turned around and walked away. "Next time, I'll demolish you."

I scowled as he walked away and then went to treat Caycee. While I was spraying potion on her a girl handed me some berries. "My name's Tori," she said, "and if you are entering the Silver Conference, then your pokemon should be at its best. Goodbye." She stormed off, as if Caycee's injury was personally offensive to her. I watched the girl with long raven hair walk away and them got back up and walked with Caycee onto the ship.

_A few hours later, on the S.S. Polaris_

Caycee and I had just settled in our room, and were waiting for our roommate to come in (there were only enough rooms on the ship to allow there to be two to a room). I found it strange that after spending more than an hour on the ship that he hadn't arrived. After a few more minutes there was a knock on the door, and when I said come in, I heard a key in the door. I was then greeted by one of the ship's staff. "I'm sorry for the mix-up, but you roommate is from the Hoenn region and will not be here until our next stop. I hope you won't mind sleeping alone tonight," He said sarcastically. The strange thing was though he was wrong, I did want a roommate. I was so used to being alone, and I wanted to finally try connecting to people. I've lived alone for several years, and other than Caycee, I was always scared of forming real connections with anyone. I guess I was afraid that they'd all be like James.

That night I decided to go out and meet some people. The ship had a battle room so I decided to check it out first. When I arrived I saw Tori fighting against another trainer, with blue hair dark skin and red eyes (which was amazing to me). Unfortunately for him, Her Pupitar looked much too tough for his Spiritomb. "Now Pupitar use Rock Slide!" And a pile of rocks knocked out the poor defenseless ghost. The boy ran over too his pokemon, comforted it, and returned it to its pokeball in defeat. Tori walked over to the boy and said, "You're too weak, you should quit. I don't need to battle weaklings like you." She then turned away and stormed off, in the same fashion as before.

"Hey, is your pokemon okay?" I asked the guy. He looked up to me and I saw he was on the verge of tears. He wasn't young, probably just about the same age as James. "What's your name, kid?" I asked him, while helping him off the ground.

"His name is Zeji and he's my roommate," said a guy about my age. "And my name is Timber, I'm a pokemon breeder. And who are you, stranger?"

"I'm Grey and this is Caycee," I said, referring to the pokemon on my back. "So you're a breeder? That's cool. What kinda pokemon do you have?"

Timber took a pokeball out of his pocket and tossed it, and out came a small monkey with fire on its ass. "This is Chimchar, he's my assistant. We're heading to Hoenn to learn more about the pokemon there. I've been training at my home town of Celestic in Sinnoh where I met Zeji and gave him his first pokemon, that Spiritomb. The two of us have been traveling together since that day three months ago. But as you can probably tell he needs a more confidence. Do you mind battling him and going easy on him? It'd mean a lot."

I thought for a second and then asked "You up for this, Caycee? It looks like the kid could use our help."

"Snea-Sneasel," said Caycee nodding her head and jumping in front of me.

"Hey, Zeji. I'm Grey and I'm your opponent, let's see what you got.

"I don't know; I'm not very good…" Zeji said, hesitantly. "C'mon out Spiritomb" and right on cue, Spiritomb popped out of his pokeball.

"Well this is how you get better. Now Caycee, use Ice Shard!" Caycee obeyed I threw an icicle at the ghost, and it knocked the ghost back, who in turn fled into his keystone. I just stared blankly.

"No Spiritomb, don't be afraid," Timber said, as the cowardly pokemon came back out, "You can only get stronger if you battle. If you'd like, Chimchar can be your partner, but then we would have to find a teammate for Caycee as well."

"Um…I'll help out if you don't mind," said the timid teen that walked up to us. He was about 5'9 with hazel eyes and short brown hair, and trembled as he talked. "My name is Justin, and I'm heading to Johto to compete in Pokemon Contests." The boy picked a pokeball out of his belt. "Say hello, Pichu." The small mouth smiled and came over and jumped on Caycee's back. "I'm sorry; Pichu can be a bit overfriendly sometimes. So can I join you guys?"

"Sure, I'm sure Caycee would appreciate the help. Now let's begin." I said

Timber took the liberty to go first: "Chimchar use Flame Wheel on Sneasel." Sneasel ducked out of the way but Chimchar just turned while still rolling in fire. Then Pichu jumped in to stop Chimchar's attack.

"Pichu, use Thunder Wave on Chimchar." And just like that a blue bolt of electricity stopped Chimchar in its tracks. "Now use Shock Wave," and with that Chimchar was trapped in an electric vortex that knocked him out instantly. Spiritomb, who was obviously terrified, retreated back into his keystone.

"I think I see a pattern," Timber said as he walked over to Spiritomb. "He seems to be okay as long as he's got a partner around. Hey Zeji, why don't you enter the doubles league in Johto, I'm sure you can find a partner who is heading there, and I think it'd be easier on Spiritomb."

"But you and I are traveling together; I don't wanna go through Johto alone! Spiritomb and I were gonna beat the Hoenn League! Damn, I don't wanna travel alone!"

"Then come with me…." I heard pour out of my mouth. I stopped to think, but I realized it was exactly what I had been looking for. I wanted others around me for once, I needed company on this journey, not just Caycee. I was okay with this. "Zeji you can travel around Johto with me. Just ride the ship an extra stop. We'll find you a doubles partner along the way. So how's that sound to you? Are you in?" I watched his face brighten up as he came over and hugged me. For someone close to my age, he sure seemed like a kid.

"Thank you so much, I really didn't want to travel alone. If you're sure it's okay, then yes I'll go with you. Now Spiritomb, say thank you." Right then, his Spiritomb came over and jumped into my arms. While it may have been timid on the battle field, this Spiritomb was sure friendly.

"Okay, well, why don't we all go head into the cafeteria for dinner. It's all free for those who paid for the ticket so let's pig out," Timber suggested. I was hungry so we went down to the cafeteria a few levels below. When the four of us got there we found flyers around the tables for a tournament, taking place on the ship after we passed through Hoenn.

"This looks cool," I said. "It's a doubles tournament, so we can find Zeji a partner there, and then Justin and I can partner up again."

"Agreed," the two said in unison.

"Well, I wish I could join you, but I have to get off in Dewford," said Timber. "But I wish you all the best of luck in your travels. Tomorrow at noon we will port in Hoenn, and after that it will be goodbye. I'm staying with a friend down in Dewford."

"Aww, well we'll miss you Timber," said Zeji. "Don't worry, I'll be in Hoenn before you know it. I'm gonna go to bed now. G'night guys." Zeji left the three of us at the table.

"I don't want to leave you guys behind, but I need some rest too," Timber said, following Zeji to their room. That left Justin and I by ourselves at the table.

"So Justin where are you from?"

"Oh…I'm from Vermillion City, my dad worked for Lt. Surge, who gave him Pichu. I also know I look really young, but I'm actually 18." (Didn't know that, but going on). "Anyway, my father gave me Pichu 3 months ago and we started training there. Thanks for wondering, Grey, and can I ask you something?"

"Sure, go ahead."

"Can I travel with you? You know, like Zeji is? I don't wanna travel alone either. I hope you don't mind."

"Of course you can, Justin, the more the merrier. I'll ask Zeji but I'm sure he won't mind. Welcome to the team Justin." We shook hands and he smiled bright. The two of us went back to our rooms, and then Caycee and I washed up for bed. It was a long day and I got exactly what I'd been looking for.

I had friends.


	3. Chapter 3: The Pit Stop

Chapter 3: The Pit Stop

_Location: The S.S. Polaris_

_363 days until the Silver Conference_

I woke up around nine the next morning. I washed up and then a very groggy Caycee and I headed to go eat breakfast. I grabbed some food and met Justin, Timber and Zeji along with another older trainer. He was extremely tall (around 6'8 was my guess) and he was dressed in all red with red hair. He stood up when I approached and extended his hand.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Justin's roommate, Zane. I heard you were entering the Johto League, which means that you're aiming for the Silver Conference. If so that means we're rivals. I'm a trainer too you know, and I won't let you beat me there," He said and then looked at Justin. "I'm also a coordinator, so I will be taking Justin on too. But on a lighter note, please enjoy your trip, I'm sure I'll see you all around the ship and Johto." And with that Zane was off.

I sat down where Zane was sitting, and cleared off the spot in front of me to make room for my food. Justin, Zeji and Timber had all let their pokemon out, and Caycee never stayed in her pokeball, so we each fed our pokemon. "Both a League trainer and a coordinator, wow how much time does he have on his hands?" asked Zeji. "Well he seems pretty experienced to me, so he should be a tough rival for you guys. At least I'm not gonna have to fight him." Zeji was grinning a little too wide at this point.

"I don't mind, I've met plenty of arrogant trainers, having him as a rival is a nice change of pace," I said. "Don't worry Zeji, you'll meet pairs of people you hate, I promise." Zeji sunk back into his chair.

Timber stood up and pushed his chair in. "I have to go get my stuff ready. The ship needs to stop at Dewford for supplies for a few hours, so why don't you come with me to meet my friend. He's an expert battler and I'm sure he could answer any questions you guys have."

We all agreed and we split up and meet up when after we got off the ship, and so I headed to the deck to relax. Caycee was clinging to my back like usual, but most people seemed to keep their pokemon out on this ship. There were so many pokemon around, that I assumed that everyone had at least one pokemon out. Just as I sat down with Caycee to read, I was rudely interrupted.

"Muuuuuuurkrow!" was all I heard before the damn bird swooped in and stole my book. The Murkrow flew off towards the roof of the ship when I tried to chase it.

"Who the hell's that Murkrow's trainer!" I yelled out of frustration. When nobody answered I assumed it was wild. "Ready, Caycee?" She nodded. "Great, use Ice Shard now." She climbed to the top of the ship and threw an Icicle, but the Murkrow flew away from it. It came down to me, dropped my book beside me and flew off.

After I sat back down to read, a ship attendant walked up to me. "I'm sorry, that Murkrow has been causing trouble on the chip for months. We think it nested on the ship somewhere, but have yet to find its hiding spot. Once again, I'm very sorry for the inconvenience." He then ran in pursuit of the Murkrow.

"Well that was fun wasn't it Caycee. Come back down here," I said to my roof loving Sneasel. I sat and read for about an hour and then off in the distance I saw land. It was Dewford Island.

I met Justin while getting off the ship. He was holding the keystone that sheltered his terrified Spiritomb (it was crowded). The two of us got off the ship and met Timber and Zeji. "Great, everyone's here. My friend is waiting in that diner right there." We all began to head over when a fight broke out, between James and Tori (of course).

"C'mon out, Pupitar," called Tori. The same larval pokemon that be Zeji came out of a pokeball.

"Tyrogue, kick it's ass," and out came James' Tyrogue. The two stared each other down until James laughed. "Well, chicks must not know much about typing. Your rock-type can't touch my Tyrogue. Now, use Mach Punch!"

"Dodge! Now let's hit this arrogant jerk where it hurts. Now, use Outrage." With that, her Pupitar started to charge at Tyrogue at incredible speed.

Tyrogue went flying after taking an Outrage, but when Pupitar came in for a second attack, James called out: "Use Vacuum Wave!" Tyrogue then used Mach Punch on the air, and sent a wave of energy towards the rampaging Pupitar. Pupitar ran off course and crashed but was able to recover.

"Pupiiiiiiiiiiitaaaaaar!" screamed Pupitar as its body began to glow. Once the glow had subsided, Pupitar had evolved into a huge, monstrous pokemon.

"Tyranitar, let's finish this!" yelled an extremely excited Tori. "Use Giga Impact!" and with that, Tyrogue was thrown off in feet by a mighty tackle from Tyranitar. It was obvious that the battle was over at that point.

"T-Tyrogue!" yelled James, as he fell to his knees, defeated. I looked at him and realized he had the same pathetic face that he had after losing to me. If he weren't such an ass I'd feel sorry for him.

"C'mon guys, let's go. There isn't anything to see here anymore." I said, moving everyone to the diner.

"Hey that Tori girl was pretty awesome, huh?" asked Zeji as we walked. "That Tyranitar was one of the strongest I'd ever seen. It'd suck to have to go up against her. Good luck Grey." Great so she was really strong. Zeji then continued while holding Spiritomb's pokeball. "I guess it wasn't just me, she really is tough, no reason to feel bad about it Spiritomb. We'll get stronger than even her!"

"That's the spirit, Zeji!" said Timber. "Anyway, here we are." The four of us walked inside where a guy in an orange t-shirt and shorts, along with turquoise hair walked up to Timber.

"Hey, Timber how's it hanging man. It's been too long. Lemme see Chimchar, man.

Timber complied and sent out Chimchar, who happily leapt into the young man's arms. "It's good to see you Brawly. I assume that everything is going well at the gym."

"Gym?" Justin asked. "Do you work at the Dewford Gym?"

Brawly laughed. "Oh ya I do, I'm the Gym Leader. If you guys ever enter the Hoenn League, you'll have to battle me."

Zeji's eyes opened wide. "If you're a Hoenn Gym Leader, could we have a quick match? I was entered for the Hoenn League, but had a change of plans. Can we battle before the ship leaves later? I really want to see what the Gym Leaders are like here, cause I still wanna come back here next year."

"Sure man, no prob! Let's head to the gym now, shall we?"

We all walked over to the Dewford Gym in the southern part of town. We each introduced ourselves to Brawly then. "Wait. We still have a problem," Timber said as we were outside the gym. "Spiritomb is too timid to battle by itself. Brawly, if I team up with you, could one of my friends help Zeji?"

"Sure, no sweat. Now which of you will it be?" asked Brawly.

"Um, I'll do it," said Justin. "Come out, Pich…"

"Muuuuuuuuurkrow," Murkrow screeched as it swooped down and stole the pokeball Pichu was in. Justin and I chased Murkrow out the door."

"Are you freaking kidding me! What the hell, is that Murkrow following me? Caycee and I will help you get Pichu back Justin. Let's go!"

As the three of us left, Zeji was left without a partner. "Damn it, now what. I can't battle without a partner!"

"Then let me help! We'll kick Brawly's ass together!" said a voice from walking into the room.

_A few blocks from the gym._

_ "_Murkrow! Get your feathered ass back down here! Seriously! Caycee, Ice Shard!" and it missed. Murkrow was making a sound which I assumed was its version of laughter. Murkrow then turned back towards the gym, opened its grip, and dropped the pokeball on the roof of the gym. "Murkrow, what the hell!"

"Calm down Grey, we'll get Pichu down, don't worry." Justin continued to calm me down but I was still pissed.

"Justin, go ask Brawly how to get roof access. I'm gonna go catch that damn Murkrow. If I catch it, I can keep it out of trouble."

"Grey, are you sure?" Justin asked uneasily.

"Yes. Now go help Pichu. I'll meet you back at the gym." The two of us split up as Caycee and I closed in on Murkrow. "Caycee, use Ice Shard on all around Murkrow!" My strategy worked, and as Murkrow tried to dodge, it actually moved into the way of Caycee's Ice Shard. Murkrow fell to the ground and I readied my pokeball. "Caycee, use Punishment now!" As Murkrow was weakened further, I threw my pokeball at it. It closed, shook and….

_Back at the Dewford Gym_

The young man who had entered was 5'9ish with dark brown hair and blue/green eyes. He carried a guitar on his back and a small iron pokemon walked by his side. "Hey I'm Aaron, Brawly's bro. and this is my partner Aron. If you need some help, we'll team up with you. What do you say?"

"Of course man, let's beat these two! Go, Spiritomb." Zeji said, unhesitant. Spiritomb popped out, and like before, was not timid with his teammate around.

"Heh, bro you never learn, but if you insist. Go, Makuhita! Now use Arm Thrust." Brawly's chubby pokemon popped out of its pokeball, and aimed its hand at Aron as it charged forward.

"Spiritomb block it, then hit back with Will-o-Wisp." Spiritomb stopped in front of Makuhita's attack, taking no damage, and then hit back with blue wisps that burnt Makuhita.

"Now use Rock Tomb Aron!" Aaron commanded. Aron jumped in front of Chimchar and covered it boulders. "Aron behind you!"

Behind Aron was the burnt Makuhita, looking stronger than ever. "That's Makuhita's Guts ability. It boosts his power when he's inflicted with a status condition, like a burn. Now Makuhita, Arm Thrust."

"Block it Spiritomb!" shouted Zeji. Spiritomb blocked the Arm Thrust yet again.

"Now Foresight Makuhita!" Suddenly Makuhita's Arm Thrust knocked Spiritomb out along with Aron.

"The winners are Chimchar and Makuhita!" said the referee. All four trainers returned their pokemon, and Zeji walked over to talk to Aaron.

"Thanks man, we might have lost but we were a great combination. Your Aron completely trapped Chimchar. Impressive stuff man." Zeji shook Aaron's hand

"Ya where are you headed to with that awesome Spiritomb. I got an itch to travel. If your heading to Slateport I could go with you."

"We're going to Johto. A little outta your range I'm guessing. But when I travel back through Hoenn, we'll meet up. Well looks like Justin's here. I wanna see how Pichu is."

Justin then explained the situation to everyone and they headed to the roof to get Pichu. I, on the other hand, had a situation of my own.

"Murkrow why won't you stay caught?" I said as the pokemon burst out of the fifth pokeball I threw at it. After that it used Haze to create a smokescreen and disappeared. Caycee and I were exhausted from chasing the bird, and decided to head back to the gym, when we got back, a clearly not terrified Pichu ran up and hugged my leg playfully. We all headed down to the port to say our goodbyes.

"Stay out of trouble, Zeji," said Timber as we stood on the dock.

Brawly spoke next. "Ya your Spiritomb's great, and you can come back when you're done with your side trip. I'll be anticipating your rematch."

"Hey guys…" said Aaron nervously. "Can I go to Johto with you guys. I want to get stronger then Brawly, and I can't do it stuck on this island. If you'd let me, I'd like to be Zeji's doubles partner." We all looked at Brawly, who nodded in approval.

"Welcome to the team, Aaron. Come on, the ship is leaving." I said. Aaron's face lit up and he came onboard with us. We sailed away, waving goodbye to Timber and Brawly. "Well you guys. Next stop…Johto.


	4. Chapter 4: Teaming Up

Chapter 4: Teaming Up

_Location: The S.S. Polaris_

_362 days until the Silver Conference_

The ship staff failed once again, to find me a roommate so I took it upon myself to do so. I offered the spot to Aaron, but he was already rooming with Zeji. As Justin was already sharing his room with Zane, I needed to find a new roommate. The nights were dull and quiet, and while I loved Caycee she lacked the gift of speech. The tournament was split into two days, beginning that afternoon, and continued the next morning before we pulled into Olivine. I decided to head into the battle room to find out the tournament first pairing and find out how big it was going to be.

Lydia & Brine vs. Grey & Justin

Zane & Miles vs. Drew & Marisa

Parry & Rosa vs. Zeji & Aaron

Jake & Miranda vs. Koil & Tyro

It looked like that we were up against two strangers in this match. I had never heard of Lydia before, but Brine was a pokemon Ranger with some fame from the Hoenn region. He gained success from helping save a Regice from being trapped on Lilycove Beach. Beating him was gonna be tough.

I was stunned that neither James nor Tori had entered (but it was most likely because no one could stand being around them for more than 10 minutes). Zane seemed to pair up with Miles, the youngest trainer on the ship. I didn't know anyone else but I was sure I'd meet them all soon enough.

I walked back outside looking for Justin and the others when…

"Muuuurkrow!" (Ya…) Murkrow came down from nowhere and pecked Caycee off my back.

"Let's go Caycee," I said as she regained composure. "You're at point blank, hit it with Ice Shard." As the ice hit the bird, I saw it was still weak from the previous day. I took out a pokeball and tossed it at it. The pokeball hit the bird, absorbed it in, and then shook.

I'm not sure how long it took to find out if the Murkrow was caught. It was probably only a few seconds, but it felt like years. But finally the pokeball clicked closed and I breathed my long awaited sigh of relief. "C'mon out Murkrow!" I said as I tossed the pokeball in the air. Murkrow flew out hovering above me, waiting for my next order. "You'll stop now, right?" Murkrow nodded. I was relieved; it looked as if the Murkrow wanted me to catch it, although I don't know why. I returned Murkrow and headed down to meet the others for breakfast.

I found Justin, Zeji and Aaron sitting alongside Zane and the 12 year old trainer, Miles. He had brown hair and hazel eyes, and was extremely friendly. While he was still young and lacked experience, people said that he was destined to grow into greatness. His father was a famous pokemon trainer in the past, something that Miles always dreamed of living up to. Just like Zane, it was nice to see competition that wasn't too competitive.

"Hey guys," I said pulling up a chair between Justin and Zane. "I saw from the pairings that you to teamed up together. How'd you guys meet?"

"We just met last night when we battled, and I gotta tell you, he's really tough. You guys better hope that you get knocked out before you have to go up against us." Zane joked as he ate the last bite of his eggs and stacked his plates together. "Anyway, I wish I could stay but I gotta train. If any of you need me I'll be in the battle room. Good luck to you all tonight, and Miles, I'll see you later for some team training." Zane stood up and walked out leaving his partner alone with us.

"So Miles, how long have you been a trainer?" asked Justin.

"About 6 months, I still only have one pokemon. Actually, why don't you meet him? Come on out, Raichu!" the pokemon popped out of the pokeball and landed in Miles' lap. "Everyone this is Raichu. He's was the first ever to be born on Pacifidlog Island. So what about you guys. I see Grey's Sneasel, but what about the rest of you."

The three of them let out their pokemon, and Pichu jumped up and gave a hug to Raichu, which threw Raichu off a little. It was then that I hadn't shown anyone the most recent addition to my team.

"Hey guys, guess who I finally caught. Go, Murkrow! And out came the pesky bird.

"Great so you finally caught it, huh?" asked Zeji. "Well you know what they say; third time's the charm. Are you going to nickname it, like you did with Caycee?" Zeji was right. I was so excited to have put an end to Murkrow's antics that I never did give it a name.

"I got one," said Aaron, "How about Raven, he is a big black bird pokemon after all."

"He?" asked Miles. "How can you tell it's a boy?"

"My brother taught me how to tell the difference of some pokemon's genders. The hat like shape on a Murkrow's head is larger on males than on females. So how do you like the name Grey?"

I thought about it, I named Caycee for a very specific reason, but I guess it was only fair to give all of my pokemon names. "Raven, huh. What do you think?" I asked my Murkrow. He squawked and nodded his head. "I guess that means yes. Welcome to the team Raven." He squawked one more time and grabbed my plate dropping all my food on my lap. "Ya, we're gonna have to work on that," I said as I returned Raven to his pokeball and Caycee chuckled.

About an hour later I was walking back to my room to give Caycee and Raven some berries. I let Raven out as the three of us walked down the hall. I kept thinking about the adventure that would begin the next day. Justin, Zeji and Aaron and I would spend the next year travelling. While I was daydreaming, I bumped into someone. I fell to the ground and he offered me a hand. "You should be careful from now on." He said.

"Ya sorry, my mind was somewhere else."

"No. I meant you should be careful carrying such feral pokemon with you. Dark types are not meant to be held by the average trainer."

I was confused by his words. Sure Dark types were hard to train, and while Raven was a bit of a prankster, neither of my pokemon had ever acted violently. "My pokemon wouldn't attack me. Don't assume you know everything. I studied dark pokemon all my life, and I know how to handle them."

"Very well, just know that darkness can be deceitful and enticing. My name is Seth. I'm sure we will meet again, and until then be careful." I looked into his red eyes and watched as he turned away and left. Caycee and Raven glared him down and then came closer to me to calm me down. I didn't know who he was, but I knew that he wasn't trying to make me angry. He was genuinely concerned, although I had no idea why.

I returned to my room and fed my pokemon like originally planned. I was exhausted so I decided to take a quick nap before meeting up with Justin to train. I decided to keep both of my pokemon out while I napped. Caycee lied next to me, and Raven slept on my knee. I drifted off after only a few minutes with both of my pokemon cuddled up to me.

And once again I had the nightmare. After it was over, I saw the same pokemon I saw the last time. "D…Darkrai…" I said fearfully. "What do you want from me? Just tell me!"

Like last time, Darkrai took his time responding. "Very well. However, I do not have the right to influence fate. I can only tell you so much. I have come here because your fate has been cursed, and will lead you to death. The reason you must be saved is because you are a hero. As long as you continue your current path, you and everyone else will be destroyed. At some point in time, you will be faced with a choice that will determine the fate of the world. It is in this moment that you will have the chance to choose your destiny. I really do wish to help you, and nightmares are the only way I can show you your choice. So please, think ahead when you make decisions. But do not, under any circumstances, live in fear what I tell you. It will throw you away from your only chance to save everyone. That is all I can tell you now. I will assist you further the day you choose your fate. Goodbye, Hero of Darkness." And with that I woke up.

"Darkrai…" I muttered as the two pokemon next to me began to wake. "Hero of Darkness…"

I walked into the battle room at 4 pm, two hours before the tournament was scheduled to begin. I found Justin watching Zeji and Aaron training. I was actually shocked to see Spiritomb fighting Aron by himself. Spiritomb definitely seemed more confident since meeting Aron. I think the pairing was good for him, as Spiritomb was finally confident. I headed over to watch the match, and Pichu of course was the first to greet me. "Hey Justin, you ready to get started?"

"Yup, let's go Pichu." Pichu jumped in front of him ready to battle. I got ready to send out Caycee, but then I realized that I had a second pokemon to train now.

"Well here goes nothing. Go, Raven!" Raven came out ready to battle. "Now use Haze." Raven covered Pichu in a dark for and then I called out: "Use Astonish, now!" Raven snuck up on Pichu and tackled him.

"Pichu, use Thundershock." Justin called out. Pichu dissipated the haze with electric bolts, and hit Raven, who fell to the ground. Raven got back ready to fight back. "Okay, time for our secret weapon. Pichu, use Volt Tackle!"

"Raven. Peck now!" the two pokemon charged at each other and collided. Raven fell to the ground in defeat. Afterwards Pichu took the recoil damage from his Volt Tackle and fell to the ground. "Good job Raven. Return. Looks like a tie, Justin."

"Ya, good battle. You ok, Pichu? Justin asked his exhausted pokemon. Pichu jumped up, trying to be cheerful and grabbed a berry from Justin's pocket, which healed it right up. "So are you using Raven tonight Grey?"

"Nah. Raven doesn't have Caycee's experience level. It's best not to push him too hard. He needs more training. Let's grab some grub before the tournament starts. I'm starved." I said, and then looked over at Zeji and Aaron. "You guys want food?"

"Ya we're done here," said Aaron as he returned Aron. "Let's eat."

The four of us returned to see the battle room surrounded by chairs for spectators. The battle room had only had enough room for one battle at a time, so it looked like this could take a while. The four of us walked up on stage with the other 12 contestants and waited for the tournament to be announced.

"Round one: Lydia and Brine versus Grey and Justin. Lydia was a very girly girl, with a flowery shirt and a blue skirt. Brine was about my height with brown hair and a ranger's outfit. We all walked over to our sides of the battle arena and got ready to battle.

"C'mon Caycee." I said as Caycee jumped in front of me.

"Go, Pichu." And with that our team had been revealed. I looked at Justin and he shot me a fierce look. I knew he was ready to battle.

"Duskull, let's go." Brine sent out a grey ghost pokemon with a skull mask. It floated above the battlefield and stared at us.

"Oh my god Grey, your Sneasel is sooooo cute! But I got one even cuter. Go, Sneasel!" Lydia's Sneasel popped out in a fighting pose. Black flower petals flew out with it. After seeing that I turned to Justin.

"They're both coordinators Justin. Remember there fighting styles."

"Begin battle!" announced the referee.

"Sneasel use Blizzard!" Lydia commanded as her Sneasel shot snow from its mouth. Both of our pokemon dodge successfully.

"Caycee use Low Kick on her Sneasel!" Following my orders, Caycee went in for the kill against the opposing pokemon.

"Shadow Sneak." Said Brine calmly as his Duskull snuck in between the two Sneasels and absorbed the kick. The ghost then proceeded to knock Caycee back. Caycee grinned as I knew how we would win.

"Pichu, use Thunder Wave." Justin managed to paralyze the Sneasel, leaving Duskull to me. "It's all yours Grey.

"Punishment Caycee!" Caycee jumped up and smack Duskull down with a strong attack, while Lydia's Sneasel could do nothing but watch. "Now Low Kick!" and with that, her Sneasel went down due to the heavy power of Caycee's Low Kick. I watched as Pichu hit Duskull with a powerful Thundershock, finishing it off as well.

"The winners are Grey and Justin." Pichu ran over and hugged Justin, while Caycee jumped on my back. The four of us went over and shook Brine and Lydia's hands.

"Oh my god! Justin your Pichu is adorable, and that Sneasel is so strong Grey. OMG, I can't wait to see you in contests Justin." Lydia said walking off, leaving her partner with the two of us.

The three of us went to sit down and watch the next match. Brine then spoke up and asked: "So Justin you're a newbie right?" Justin nodded. "Well don't worry; I've only been doing contests about a year, so I'm still pretty new. Good luck in the contests, I hope we get to battle again soon." He headed out to meet Lydia, and Justin and I focused our attention on the match in front us. Zane and Miles were fighting their opponents. The first one was a tanned skin male who was using a Jolteon who I identified as Drew. The other was a petite female trainer with a Wooper who I remember being named Marisa. It seemed that both trainers were having an easy time overwhelming Raichu (as both were immune to electricity). Zane's Dratini seemed to be doing most of the work, and was looking worn out.

"Dratini use Twister." His poor dragon weakly created a tornado. As the wind cleared both Jolteon and Wooper took quite a bit of damage, Dratini and Raichu on the other hand were missing. "Dig!" Dratini popped up from under Jolteon and knocked it out.

As for Raichu, it looked like it had one more trick up its sleeve. "Use Surf!" Raichu hit the poor Wooper with a flood of water, which forced Marisa to return it. "Wooper!" cried as she sent the poor fish into its pokeball.

"The winners are Zane and Miles!" the two of them took a bow, shook their opponent's hands, and sat down in the crowd.

"Parry, hurry up! Our battle is about to start. God you are so slow." The teenage girl whined to her boyfriend as they walked down to battle Zeji and Aaron. "You can't possibly be this slow. You're doing it to spite me aren't you?"

"Calm down, I'm not spiting you. Now let's beat these guys and get back to training." Zeji and Aaron were giggling as they let out their pokemon. The "happy couple" sent out there pokemon; A Magikarp from Parry, and Rosa's Feebas. The two pokemon flopped helplessly as Aaron and Zeji began hysterical laughing.

"Begin Battle."

"Use Headbutt Aron." Aaron commanded as he took a break from laughing. Aron walked over to the Magikarp and knocked it across the room as the poor pokemon struggled to put up a fight.

"Spiritomb, use Dark Pulse." And just Magikarp failed pitifully, Feebas followed.

"The winners are Zeji and Aaron!" the referee announced as the pair continued to laugh.

I was getting some water before the final battle of round one when I suddenly passed out. I began having a Nightmare immediately, and Darkrai appeared right after.

"I'm sorry to have done that to you, but I cannot allow you to witness that battle. Your friends are on their way to bring you back into your room, and you will be fine by tomorrow." And just like that, Darkrai disappeared.

"Wait! Darkrai! Darkrai!"


	5. Chapter 5: Blinding Light

Chapter 5: Blinding Light

_Location: S.S. Polaris_

_361 Days until Silver Conference_

I woke up drenched in sweat. Just as Darkrai had promised, I was in my own bed, with Caycee and Raven by my side. No one else was in the room, but I heard talking from outside. I got up and opened my door. On the other side, Justin, Zeji and Aaron were all waiting for me.

"You feeling alright now Grey?" asked Aaron as the three of them walked into my room. Pichu, Spiritomb and Aron were all out of their pokeballs as well. "You kinda passed out in the hall last night."

"Ya, I'm fine, thanks guys. I'm fine, just a little dehydrated was all. The tournament's second round begins in two hours. I'll wash up and meet you guys at breakfast."

After a few more,"are you sure you're okay"s, I finally got them to leave, and I went and washed up for breakfast. After my shower, I sat down on my bed, with my pokemon giving me worried looks. I decided it was time to at least tell my pokemon. "Caycee, Raven. I need to tell you guys something." And so I told them about Darkrai and my nightmares. When it was done the two of them crawled onto my lap to comfort me. "It's okay guys. I'm sure Darkrai has his reasons. It's not every day that a legendary pokemon targets a specific person. Darkrai called me "Hero of Darkness". I don't know what that means, but we'll figure it out together. For now please don't tell the others pokemon. Let's keep it between the three of us. Now let's go to breakfast." We left the room and walked down to breakfast (or flew in Raven's case).

I sat down with everyone to eat, and after a few dozen more worried questions, we headed out to the battle room. The four of us lined up along with Zane, Miles and the two winners I missed the night before, Koil and Tyro. Both were about my age, with Koil having red hair and green eyes, while Tyro had long brown hair and blue eyes. Tyro seemed a lot friendlier than his female partner, who wore a cold smile. It seemed that since last night a second battle field had been prepared, meaning that both semifinal battles would take place at once. Justin and I moved into the second battle room, along with Zane and Miles. I decided to give Raven a chance this time, and of course Justin used Pichu. Zane and Miles sent out Dratini and Raichu, respectively, and the referee said, "Begin!"

"Dratini, use Thunder Wave!" called Zane as his dragon shot out a bolt at Raven. Pichu blocked it with an unordered Thundershock and then ran towards Raichu.

"Pichu, use Volt Tackle!" Pichu charged towards Raichu with maximum strength.

"Surf, Raichu!" Miles commanded as his Raichu unleashed a huge wave of water to try and flood both Pichu and Raven. Raven flew above it, but Pichu was not so lucky.

"We got him now," Justin said with unusual confidence. I finally figured out Justin's plan, and I was finally glad I used Raven. "Pichu use Zap Cannon." The two pokemon fighting in the water were helpless to escape, as Murkrow flew safely above the flood. As the electric attack subsided and the water drained, I looked to find Raichu and Dratini knocked out. And I didn't need to do anything. Justin sure was powerful, as was Pichu.

"The winners are Grey and Justin. The two of you will move onto the final round! Congratulations!" after the referee had finished, Justin and I went over and shook hands with our opponents. After talking for a few minutes, the four of us sat down waiting for the results of the other match. After a few minutes, Zeji and Aaron walked through the doors, and plopped down next to us.

"We lost…" said Zeji, as if he just finished losing the battle of a lifetime. "I can't believe it. The two of them were untouchable. Good luck you two, it's gonna be tough." Koil and Tyro walked into the room, heads held high, and walked over to the battlefield, across from where Justin and I were to battle them. The two of us got up with encouraging words from Zeji, Aaron, Miles and Zane. The two of walked up and sent out our pokemon. I decided to go with Caycee, and our opponents used a Roselia (Koil) and a Sandshrew (Tyro). The looks in their eyes were serious, although Tyro's eyes were much friendlier than Koil's.

"Begin!" The announcer called after all the pokemon were sent out.

"Sandshrew use Dig!" Tyro called out as the small rodent dug underground.

"Roselia use Sleep Powder! Then jump into Sandshrew's hole." The small flower pokemon obeyed Koil as it threw spores into the air and jumped down where both pokemon hid from the dust filling the air. I knew I had to think fast if Caycee was going to avoid being put to sleep.

"Pichu use Dig! And Caycee please follow." It was amazing. Justin not only had a way to get himself out of the situation, but even commanded Caycee's respect enough to get her to obey. Both pokemon jumped into the hole, but there was one thing we missed. All four pokemon were underground, but only one pokemon was a ground-type, and that Sandshrew had the home-field advantage. I saw the dirt move to our pokemon, and knew I had to move fast.

"Caycee, use Ice Shard now." Caycee managed to knock Pichu out of the hole just in time, but Caycee was not so lucky. Sandshrew got to her with Dig and Roselia jumped in to finish her off.

"Finish that pink pest Roselia, use Leaf Storm!" and after being hit with the frenzy of leaves, Caycee was left helpless on the ground.

"Sandshrew use Dig."

"Roselia use Sleep Powder"

"Pichu return," Justin said as he returned Pichu just before the final blow. "I know who was going to win, so Pichu shouldn't be roughed up any more than he already was." I turned to Justin, who was walking back to the seats, defeated. I picked Caycee up, nuzzled her head, and went to check on Pichu.

"The winners are Koil and Tyro! Congratulations, and thanks to all our participants. Enjoy your stay in Johto; we will be arriving in about one hour."

After the ship pulled in Caycee, Raven and I walked with Justin, Zeji and Aaron, off the ship and into the city. We decided to check into the pokemon center for the night as there was a lot to see in Olivine City, along with a Gym I hoped to challenge. We walked into the pokemon center, and checked into our two doubles rooms (free with our league/contest/doubles passes that we purchased while we were there). Justin and I roomed together, while Zeji and Aaron had a room adjoining ours. I was glad to see Justin feeling better, as he was quite shaken to see Pichu get so badly hurt. "You ok Justin?" I asked him.

"Ya. It's you I'm worried about. You just passed out last night. You should probably rest. We're all gonna go to the lighthouse after dinner; it's supposed to be amazing at night. You should nap before dinner. Let's go Pichu, we're gonna register for tomorrow's contest. It'll be our very first one. So we gotta be ready. Have a nice nap Grey." Justin walked out of the room as I lied down next to Caycee and Raven (all of us sleeping in a pile had become a regular thing). I drifted off to sleep and soon enough I was asleep.

"I'm sorry about yesterday," said Darkrai, skipping the normal horrifying introduction. "Believe me when I say I did it to direct you. I won't stay long, you must get rest. Grey, tonight you will meet the Queen of Shadows. It is then that your journey will truly begin. I'm sorry I don't have more to tell you, but I can tell you that she and I are working together. She will know who you are. So accept what she says." I didn't say a word as Darkrai spoke.

"Darkrai, I trust you. I don't know why, I just do."

"It is only natural. Our dark souls commune perfectly together. Goodbye Grey." And just like every other time, he was gone.

"You ready yet man?" Aaron asked knocking on the door. I had just gotten out of the shower and was half dressed when he knocked. "Nurse Joy said dinner's only ready."

"I'll meet you there in a few minutes." I turned to Caycee and Raven. "You two go down with them, I'll be there soon." Caycee opened the door and Raven flew out with her (yes I taught Caycee to open doors). I finished getting dressed and looked in the mirror. "Who is the Queen of Shadows?" I asked myself.

I sat down with all the others and their pokemon a few minutes later. I picked up my burger, gave the pickle to Caycee and the tomato to Raven. I took a bite and noticed everyone was still worried. "I'm really fine, now stop." The three of them resumed eating, but Pichu, who was apparently done eating, jumped in my lap and started jabbering with Caycee. "Looks like they're having fun."

"Ya Pichu sure doesn't seem fazed from your battle earlier." Zeji said, petting Pichu on the head. "He is a tough little guy, eh?"

"Ya…he's strong." Justin said quietly. "Are you guys ready, I wanna see the lighthouse."

"Ya let's go," said Aaron.

We all got up and headed to the lighthouse. As we walked we noticed a blinding light in the sky. "That must be it. But it's so bright!" said Zeji, while we covered our eyes. We walked in and noticed it was completely deserted. "Awesome guys, we're the only ones here. Let's walk to the top." Zeji ran off to the top Aaron shortly behind him.

"Those guys are so hasty. Don't you agree Justin?" I asked, as Aron and Spiritomb desperately tried to catch up with their trainers to no avail. Justin and I along with Caycee, Raven and Pichu strolled casually behind.

When we reached the top, we were shocked to find Zeji and Aaron unconscious on the ground with Spiritomb and Aron desperately trying to shield them from the Electric bolts being fired at them. The bolts were coming from an Ampharos, but this Ampharos was white. The sheep cried in anger when it saw us, knocking out Spiritomb and Aron and turning its attention towards us.

"Caycee Ice Shard and hurry!" I screamed as the pokemon's Zap Cannon flew towards us with immense power. Caycee's efforts were in vein however as her, Raven and I were all blasted onto the ground. Pichu growled in anger and charged fearlessly into the electrical monster.

"Pichu, No!" Justin screamed as the small mouse continued running towards its target, preparing a Volt Tackle. "PICHU, I can't let you get hurt again!" Justin screamed to try and stop his pokemon. Pichu continued to charge, and suddenly began to glow. After the light disappeared, he wasn't Pichu any longer. He was a Pikachu.

Pikachu screamed as his Volt Tackle grew faster and stronger. Justin fell to the ground in both amazement over Pichu's evolution, and fear over his new Pikachu's safety. "Pikachu, be careful!"

The Ampharos used Thunderpunch, colliding with Pikachu, and although Pikachu managed to knock Ampharos off its feet, the recoil was more than he could bear. Justin watched in horror as the Ampharos prepared its final, point-blank Zap Cannon, pointed straight at Pikachu. There was nothing any of us could do.

"Umbreon, use Payback!" said a voice from behind me as a black pokemon knocked Ampharos out. "Are you alright?" I looked up and saw a white haired woman in a tank top standing over me. She looked down at me and said. "You have a long way to go, but at least you have friends. I've been waiting for this day Hero of Darkness."

"You're…You're…" I muttered.

"That's right. It's nice to meet you Grey. "I'm the Champion of Johto and the Queen of Shadows. My name is Karen."


	6. Chapter 6: The Queen of Shadows

Chapter 6: The Queen of Shadows

_Location: Olivine Pokemon Center_

_360 Days until Silver Conference_

A rescue team came up and brought us to the Pokemon Center for medical attention. None of us were badly injured and Justin didn't even have a scratch. After a few hours they let us get up and head into the dining room. Karen was waiting for us their along with a few other surprise guests.

"Timber!" shouted Zeji as he ran over to his friend sitting at the booth. Next to him sat Brawly, who obviously was worried about his brother, and a girl with long brown hair and a dress. The eight of us all sat down and Karen began to speak.

"I know I owe you a lot of explanations, Grey, but first let me introduce you to Jasmine. She is the Gym Leader here at Olivine City."

Jasmine looked down. "I'm so sorry to all of you. Amphy had never acted like that before. It's all because of what that horrible man did."

"Horrible man?" I asked.

Karen's face turned serious. "Yes, the man she was referring to infiltrated the ship to come straight into Olivine. He's a member of Team Radiance, an organization whose goal is to steal the 16 Alpha Plates."

"What are the Alpha Plates?" Zeji asked, barely able to keep up with all this information.

"Ah yes. I'm not the best person to explain it, but all you need to know right now is that the Ampharos in the lighthouse was guarding one, and it went out of control when it was stolen. We cannot allow Team Radiance continue. Which brings me to the next thing I wish to discuss. Grey, you know who I am, right? Darkrai told you."

Everyone turned to me in shock. "Grey, it's time to tell your friends about your nightmares." And so I did. I told them about the nightmares, about Darkrai, and about my title at the Hero of Darkness. I explained how Darkrai was the one who knocked me out the night before. I explained it all and waited for a response.

"Why didn't you just tell us before?" asked Aaron.

"Ya, we would've understood. We would've thought you were nuts, but we would've understood that!" Zeji said laughing. I looked at everyone and noticed nobody minded. These were my friends and they were supportive. Caycee and Raven too.

"Now I need a favor from you, Grey," Karen continued. "I want you to help me collect the Alpha Plates. Some of them can only be collected from gym leaders in gym matches, in order to prevent the Champion from abusing his or her power. Grey will you help me stop Team Radiance?"

I looked at all of my friends, and they all nodded. "Okay, if it's okay with everyone else, we'd be glad to help. Now how do we collect them all?"

"First you need this, the Arc Insignia." She handed me a rainbow pin, which I attached to my jacket. "Show that to the gym leaders throughout Johto and you will be able to battle for both a badge and the Alpha Plate they guard. The other 8 plates have been scattered among Johto and are guarded by the indigenous pokemon."

"I will also explain how the Plates work to the best of my ability," said Jasmine. "Ampharos was guarding the Zap Plate, which gave Ampharos unlimited electricity, as well as the ability to control the flow of electricity around it. Each Alpha Plate enhances the abilities of one type of pokemon, Such as the Zap Plate and Electric-type pokemon."

Karen and Jasmine stood up, and Karen turned to me. "Meet me back here tomorrow night at nine. We will need to catch a helicopter to New Bark Town tomorrow, so I need all six of you to be prepared with all of your stuff. Brawly, I thank you again for your help. I will see you all tomorrow. Justin good luck in your contest. It's already one in the morning; you should all get some sleep. Goodnight. She walked off and we all headed up to our rooms. Justin and I sat down on our beds and let our pokemon out (Caycee, of course, was already out). Pikachu jumped on Justin's lap and Murkrow landed on my head.

"Pikachu is alright, so please don't be upset Justin. You really don't give him enough credit. Pokemon are used to battling you know. Pikachu isn't upset, and everyone's safe now." Justin just laid down on his bed holding Pikachu.

"I know. I'll be okay, Grey. Just give me a little time. Goodnight Grey." Justin turned over and fell asleep, but Pikachu stayed awake and stared at me.

After a few minutes there was a knock on the door. I walked over and opened it. "Hey Grey," Karen said. "Can we talk for a few minutes?"

"Sure," I whispered. Caycee, Raven and Pikachu jumped outside with us as I closed the door. "What's up Karen?"

"Grey, I want to reassure you that Darkrai is trying to help you. He will help you in person when the time is right, but he would be at risk if he showed his face now. Eventually, Team Radiance will come after him, as well as the two of us. The three of us as a team will be their biggest threat."

"And why is that?" I asked

"Darkrai is the Pitch-Black pokemon. I am the Queen of Shadows. And you, Grey, are the Hero of Darkness. It's that same dark power that team Radiance despises so much. So please trust Darkrai. He's fighting hard too.

"Okay," I said. "Is there anything else I should know?"

"Just that your journey to conquering the Silver Conference, and your mission to stop Team Radiance will now be one in the same. I will see you tomorrow Grey. Get some sleep." She walked off and we walked into the room. I saw Pikachu run over to Justin, and went over to see Justin crying in his sleep. Pikachu cuddled up to his trainer and Sneasel and Murkrow walked over to my bed.

"It'll be okay Justin, Pikachu is strong."

I woke up that morning unusually well rested. Apparently Justin had already left, and my pokemon had as well. I washed up, got dressed and walked downstairs. I got downstairs to find Caycee, Raven, Zeji and Aaron eating breakfast. I grabbed some eggs from the buffet and sat down next to everyone else. As we ate and had the normal small talk Jasmine walked in. She was in distress and ran over to Nurse Joy who hugged her. We all got up to find out what was wrong.

"Jasmine, what's wrong?" I asked. She couldn't talk, and she ran to sit down.

"Amphy, the Ampharos from the lighthouse, passed away last night. Having the Zap Plate forcefully removed caused it to electrify itself, which is what made it run wild. Your friend is in back, he's been blaming himself all night." Justin! That's where Justin was. He was with the Ampharos. We ran over to the room where Ampharos was and found Justin sitting by the deceased pokemon. He was hysterical crying and Pikachu was trying to comfort him. We all walked into the room and sat down next to him.

"It's all my fault. Had Pikachu not needed to protect me, she wouldn't have been hit by more electricity than she could handle. She might have survived if I hadn't let Pikachu attack her." Justin was inconsolable, no matter what we tried to say, Justin just kept blaming himself.

After a few minutes someone walked furiously into the room and said: "Stop!" Jasmine walked in and smacked Justin. Don't think that it's your fault. It was Team Radiance who did it, not you. They ripped the Zap Plate from Amphy's body. You just defended yourself. If you really wanna make up for it then you would stop team Radiance once and for all. Now come with me. I need to show you something."

The four of us followed Jasmine to the lobby, where Timber was sitting, cradling an egg. "Justin, this is the egg that Amphy laid a few months ago." Jasmine said crying. "I want you to take it, Justin. You obviously care a lot about pokemon, and I would like to watch you become an amazing coordinator. I'm sure Amphy would want her child to aid in your journey." Justin burst into tears again and Jasmine hugged him. "Your gonna be amazing, Justin, but you have to stop blaming yourself every time a pokemon gets hurt."

"Okay…" Justin said, as he finally calmed down. "I promise I'll raise Amphy's child to be just like her. Thank you Jasmine everyone. But I don't think I'm ready to enter a contest today. I will be okay. I just need more time."

We all sat down with Jasmine, who told us all sorts of stories about Amphy. She talked about the day she first moved to Olivine and Amphy's light saved her from a sinking rowboat. She talked about how Amphy taught her Magnemites to use Thunderbolt. As she told more and more stories about Amphy, she finally seemed to be able to smile. She was going to be okay.

She just needed time.

A few hours later, I finished packing my stuff and walked to the lobby with Justin, Zeji, Aaron, Timber and Brawly. We met Jasmine and Karen at the same booth we had sat at the previous night, and the two of them walked us up to the roof.

"Welcome to the Olivine helipad. Is everyone ready to go?" Karen asked. We all nodded except for Justin. "What is it Justin?"

"Jasmine, I want to thank you for everything." Justin said as he finally managed a smile. He held up the egg and continued: "I promise to make this baby the strongest Ampharos in the world someday. Just you wait." They hugged goodbye as we all boarded the helicopter.

"Have a safe trip everyone, Jasmine waived as the helicopter started to rise. I saw her crying, but I don't think it was entirely out of sadness anymore.

"This is so cool, ain't it guys?" Zeji asked as he and Aaron looked around as if they had never flown before. "This is so much cooler than a plane.

"Agreed," Laughed Karen, as the helicopter leveled off. "When we arrive, we will be heading towards Professor Elm's Lab. There we will discuss how to go about collecting the plates. Also, the professor seems eager to meet all of you."

"Sounds good to me," said Timber.

A thought occurred to me at that moment. "Hey Timber, why are you and Brawly here anyway?"

"Karen called me," Brawly answered. "After she told me what happened and asked for my help, she told me who it was who had been hurt in the battle. I, of course, brought Timber along at that point." I was thankful to hear that Timber was sticking with us. He was a dependable friend to have around. Slowly, as the helicopter travelled through the night, I closed my eyes and fell asleep.

"Darkrai..."I said as my dream begun. "You want me to collect the Plates, right? That's where all of this has been leading to, right?"

"It will go deeper than that, Grey. You will be faced with the most powerful opponents you've ever seen. Team Radiance aren't pushovers, and neither are the Johto Gym Leaders."

"It doesn't matter. I will collect the Alpha Plates, stop Team Radiance and win the Silver Conference….For Amphy"

"So you too will fight for that Ampharos. I would expect as much from a hero. Amphy will be able to rest in peace now. Her fight is in your hands. Are you prepared to take on the hopes and dreams of the departed?"

"I will, I will stop Team Radiance. Every life is precious, be it human or pokemon. Darkrai, I will fight not just to avenge Amphy, but to protect my friends as well."

Darkrai stared at me and then said: "You are the Hero of Darkness, as I predicted. Grey, you are ready."


	7. Chapter 7: Radiant Light, Ominous Dawn

Chapter 7: Radiant Light, Ominous Dawn

_Location: Skies of New Bark Town_

_359 Days until Silver Conference_

I woke up with a shiver when I realized that Caycee had stolen my blanket. I got up (making sure not to wake anyone else up) and headed over to Karen who was looking out the window. I approached her, and as if she knew what I was thinking she looked at me and said: "Please don't worry. Once we get to New Bark Town we will figure out a plan. Professor Elm is quite intelligent, and I invited someone else to help us as well." She looked down with an unsure look on her face. "If you would please, Grey, I would like you to take this. I looked at the pokeball that she handed me and looked back at her. "This pokemon was a dear friend of mine's. He raised it well, and no doubt that it will serve you just as well. I just ask that wait until we land to release it."

"T-Thank you," I said, stunned. "But I don't know if I can accep..."

"Please, Grey. This pokemon needs a trainer. And you will need a strong, experienced pokemon to add in your travels." Karen looked at me desperately and then said. A few months ago, a member of Team Radiance killed my friend, Sidney. He lost a pokemon battle to an Admin and this pokemon watched his trainer and teammates get ripped to shreds. He wasn't a weak trainer either. He was a member of Hoenn's Elite four. This pokemon is severely traumatized and needs a kind trainer who understands dark types to help it come out of its shell. After getting to know you the last few days, there isn't a doubt in my mind that this is what Sidney would want. So please Grey take care of him."

I looked down at the pokeball in my hands wondering what kind of pokemon was inside. I couldn't imagine watching all my friends get killed, and the fact that this was a pokemon didn't change that. I knew it would be tough, but I knew more than ever that Team Radiance had to be stopped. Karen walked by and I nodded. She smiled and said: "His name is Leo."

We landed within the hour, and we stopped to eat at a breakfast place a block from the lab. Karen and Brawly sat alone while the rest of us sat in a corner booth. Shortly after we ordered, Justin's egg began to twitch. We all stared at it, and Aaron jumped up and grabbed it in excitement. "Haha, I'm gonna be the first to see it hatch now Justin!"

"Give it back, Aaron! You might hurt it!" Justin yelled frantically, like an over protective mother. Timber grabbed the egg from Aaron, looked at it for a second and then handed it back to Justin.

"It's still got another day or two before it hatches. Don't get too excited just yet."

Aaron and Justin both sat down, while Zeji laughed. "Well if the kitchen here is out of eggs, I found a big one we can fry up." Zeji kept laughing, while Justin glared at him. O cmon Justin, I was just kidding.

After breakfast, the seven of us walked over to the lab. When we arrived, an awkward man in a lab coat greeted us. He pushed his glasses up, looked at us and said: "Hello everyone, I am Professor Elm, and this is my laboratory. Please come in." We all followed the Professor inside and into a boardroom on the far side of the main hallway. While we were walking, several pokemon walked over to us and started jumping on us. "Those are all starter pokemon that we raise hear for new trainers."

We kept walking, but a small Cyndaquil started tugging on Zeji's pants. "Quit it." He said as he shooed the pokemon away. When the pokemon decided to stubbornly continue playing, Zeji picked it up and moved it over to the other pokemon. "You stay there, I need to go inside." As Zeji walked towards the door to join us, the Cyndaquil began crying. Zeji looked at Professor Elm, who nodded in approval. "Fine you can come with me, but you have to behave." With that, Cyndaquil jumped into Zeji's arms.

As we walked in, a scowling face greeted us. The raven-haired man in the chair across the room was wearing a brown trench coat, as if he were expecting it to begin raining in the office. He forced a smile and got up to shake Karen's hand. "A pleasure to see you Karen."

"I wish I could say the same," Karen said coldly. "Everyone, this is G. He will be assisting us in our battle against Team Radiance. He is an exert when it comes to criminology." We all stared at the intimidating man before us who walked to the front of the room as we all sat down.

"If we are all here, I would like to begin." G looked at Karen who nodded. "Now then. We will begin by discussing Team Radiance's structure. As you know, there are three ranks within Team Radiance's organization. They have a massive army of low rank peons, as well as three highly tactical admins, and finally, their leader. No information is known about the higher ups, for any grunts we capture fail to reveal any information during interrogations. We do know that Team Radiance has a grip over Johto, and has even expanded into Hoenn. That is why you are here, Brawly. You are to report all Team Radiance actions in Hoenn to us." Brawly nodded and Aaron shot out of his chair.

"They're in Hoenn too? Why didn't you tell me, Brawly? I would stayed home and helped you."

"Exactly…" was all that Brawly said.

"If you would please sit down young man, I would like to continue." Aaron obliged and G began speaking again." The next thing to discuss is the Alpha Plates. The Plates are used to awaken, empower and control the pokemon, Arceus. As of right now, eight of the Plates are being held by Johto's Gym Leaders. As for the remaining eight, the Zap Plate is now in Team Radiances possession while the Toxic Plate is guarded in Violet Cities Bell tower. The Splash and Flame Plates are both guarded by legendary pokemon, and the four remaining plates are currently missing."

"Our goal is to gather as many plates as we can before Team Radiance. After we locate as many Plates as possible, we will storm Team Radiance's base in order to retrieve the Zap Plate." Justin clutched the egg each time the Zap Plate was mentioned. "In order to reach our goal as effectively as possible, each of us will have a different responsibility. I will study Team Radiance and locate their base. Karen, you will be in charge of locating the missing plates. Professor Elm will study the Plates to learn as much about them as he can. Brawly, as I said before, will return to Hoenn and will be in charge of gathering information there. Finally, you kids are to go collect the Plates from each gym leader, as only trainers with special permission are allowed to do so. Is everyone agreed?" We all said our different variants of yes.

"Good, now there is only one last thing to cover. Team Radiance's goal in awakening Arceus is to 'purify' all people pokemon. We don't know much but we do know that the plates are essential in creating new types of pokemon, and Team Radiance is trying to create a new obedient 'Light' type. That is all the information we have on the subject, as most grunts either are uninformed or blindly loyal to their cause." The man stood up. "Everyone is to begin their assigned duty tomorrow morning. That is all for this meeting, you are all dismissed."

As we all walked out, Karen and Brawly went to talk with G, leaving the rest of us with Professor Elm. "Come with me. I'd like to give you each something." The five of us followed Professor Elm. Justin and Zeji were clutching their egg and fire mouse, respectively, while Timber was speaking with Professor Elm.

Aaron stayed behind and walked with me, and I could obviously tell something was bothering him. "You alright?"

"Ya, I'm just worried about Hoenn. My whole family is there and all of my friends. I know brawly is strong, but Hoenn is in distress right now after an Elite four member was killed. I feel that this would only add to that." At that moment it became apparent that Aaron didn't know who had killed Sidney, and I felt that I should ask Brawly before telling him anything.

"It will be okay. If we stop them here then Hoenn will be safe as well. I won't let them gather the plates, Aaron." He smiled and nodded before heading off to catch up to Zeji. I knew I had to talk to brawly later, but now was not the time.

We arrived in a room filled with pokeballs and Professor Elm turned to us. "Karen told me about your personalities earlier, in order for me to gather up the supplies you would need."

"Supplies?" Zeji asked.

"Yes. Although we normally only give away starter pokemon here, this lab is built to research pokemon breeding, and as such we have many species of pokemon kept here. I decided to give each of you one pokemon based on your personalities and interests. For example, Justin seems to be a fan of electric types, so I decided to give him an electric type that would be rare to find in the wild. As long as we are on you Justin..." Professor Elm picked up a pokeball, "This pokemon is for you."

Justin looked at the pokeball with a smile and then handed the egg to Timber and Pikachu to me. He took the pokeball and tossed it to the ground. Out came a small, plasma-based pokemon floating through the air. Is this a Rotom, Professor?" asked Justin excitedly. "I can't accept something so rare."

"Nonsense, It will come in handy. Electric types have only one weakness to ground type moves. Rotom has the ability to levitate giving it immunity to such a weakness. This ability will come in handy during your contests. Next we have Timber."

Timber walked over to the Professor as Rotom floated playfully around Justin and Pikachu. "This pokemon is the perfect pokemon for a breeder, something perfect for you." Timber let the slimy pink blob out of its pokeball.

"Haha, I should have expected a Ditto. It's really is perfect for me," Timber chuckled and picked up the pokemon. The pokemon transformed into Rotom and the two started flying around their new trainers head. "Well Ditto, meet the rest of my team. Go, Chimchar and Meditite!" Chimchar popped out of its pokeball along with a blue and purple pokemon.

"Whoa Timber, did my brother give you his Meditite?" Aaron asked.

"Yup, I was trying to study the relationship between psychic and fighting type pokemon. Brawly offered me his Meditite to help with my research." Meditite ran over and jumped on Aaron, obviously remembering him. While they were playing, Zeji walked over to get his new pokemon.

"Your holding it," Professor Elm stated. "That Cyndaquil knew you were coming, and that's why it approached you. Your Spiritomb seems awfully shy, as are most Cyndaquil. Hopefully the two will come out of their shells together."

"Awesome, you hear that Cyndaquil? You're coming with me!" Professor Elm gave Zeji a pokeball returned Cyndaquil.

"My turn next!" Aaron exclaimed as he ran over and received the pokeball Professor Elm held out for him. Out came a small blue pokemon with a swirl on its stomach. "A Poliwag! Awesome!" The small pokemon jumped up to eye level with its trainer. "Heh, you're quite the jumper, aren't you?"

"As for you, Grey, my friend Mr. Pokemon is actually holding onto a pokemon he wants you to raise, but I heard that you received a pokemon from Karen earlier today, so why don't you let it out…"

CRASH! A huge explosion interrupted the professor. Alarms started blaring and a researcher ran in from the front entrance and said to us: "Team Radiance is attacking!"

We all began to panic as we returned all our pokemon to their pokeballs (with the exception of Caycee and Pikachu) and ran out to find people running out of the back exit. Professor Elm turned to us and said: "You all stay here." He then ran off in the direction that Karen, Brawly and G were in. The five of us stayed in as promised for a minute before we were found by Radiance grunts. They were all dressed in white, bearing large gray Xs on their shirts.

"Here they are, Lady Vera. The pokeballs are stored in here." The grunts cleared the way for a young woman wearing a bandana with the same X shaped insignia over her mouth.

"Please move you treacherous pieces of garbage," she said to us as we blocked the pokeballs. "Go Gengar!" The Ghost like pokemon jumped out and attacked us. "Use Shadow Ball."

"Pikachu, use Thunderbolt." Justin called out.

"Caycee, use Punishment!" I yelled. The pokemon followed our orders but were both blocked by a powerful Shadow Ball. As we began to panic, a pokemon released itself from the pokeball that Karen gave me. "L-Leo, is an Absol…?" I asked in amazement of the clearly powerful pokemon standing before me. "Alright let take care of them Leo."

"That scar on its face, is that Sidney's?" Asked Vera asked as she started laughing. "That pokemon is worthless. Gengar use Focus Blast!" The ghost started charging energy in its hands.

"Leo, use Sucker Punch!" I yelled. Just as Gengar was about to release its attack, Absol jumped in front of him and tackled him in the gut. Gengar flew back and Vera screamed.

"Crobat use Cross Poison!" I hardly had time to think as Leo went flying back towards the wall and another trainer with Purple hair walked in wearing the Radiance uniform. "Oh Vera, I can't believe I needed to save you."

"I-I didn't ask for your help, Silver. You and your disgusting bat can go somewhere else. I found the pokeballs, so don't try to steal the credit."

"Don't be ridiculous, Mi Amor. I wouldn't dare take credit for your catch. But I'm sure the boss would love to know that your Gengar was taken out in one hit." Vera grunted, returned her Gengar, and left. "Now time to finish this. Crobat use Brave Bird." The large bat aimed to dive bomb Leo. And I was left with nothing to do to help.

"Umbreon use Protect!" Karen shouted as she shielded my pokemon. "Is everyone ok?" We all nodded and Umbreon began attacking on its own. "Umbreon can handle that so for now you must escape. Professor Elm is in the hall. He will show you the secret exit."

We all ran out after she forced us out of the room but then I saw someone I wasn't expecting. "Your…"

The man who stood before me was the same one who had approached me three days earlier about using dark types. "I warned you, Grey. Houndoom, Use Fire Blast!" Umbreon jumped in and saved me once again, apparently having defeated the Crobat. Unfortunately, it was to weak to withstand the attack and got knocked out.

"All of you leave!" G commanded us standing in front of everyone. "You must escape and take as many of the pokemon as you can carry." I tried to stay with him, but Karen grabbed me and pulled me towards the exit. We reached a room with an underground passage hidden in it and we all climbed in, the Professor concealing the exit as we left.

"G…" I said as I carried Caycee through the tunnel. "He didn't have to… we all had more pokemon."

"He didn't want any casualties. He did what he could to help," Karen said. "He is tough, don't worry. Did al your researchers get out, Elm?"

"Yes they are all safe, but unfortunately several hundred pokeballs were left behind. I shutter to think what Team Radiance is going to use them for, but it can't be good for us if they sent all three of their admins after us. In any case, this tunnel will lead us to Mr. Pokemon's house north of Cherrygrove City. It was always intended to be our home base, so at least we're heading in the right direction."

"Snea…" said Caycee weakly.

"You'll be alright Caycee, I promise. "

We continued walking for several hours before reaching the end of the tunnel. Professor Elm lifted the door, and we each squinted as we climbed into the home laboratory. "Is everyone alright?" asked an older man with a gray mustache. "I am Mr. Pokemon, and I will be sheltering you."

We all spent some time explaining the details of the attack to Mr. Pokemon. Afterwards everyone went to go eat, exhausted and distressed. Mr. Pokemon pulled me aside and brought me into a room with a small pool of water. "So your saying you met Seth before?" He asked, continuing on what I told everyone before. I felt the need to mention everything that happened on the boat, and Mr. Pokemon seemed to want all the details.

"Yes. He told me stop training dark types," I said as Raven flew around my head. Caycee and Leo were both resting along with Pikachu and Umbreon. "So why did you pull me aside?"

"It's because that boy Seth is my son, and as such I feel upset that I could not stop him. Seth also left something behind last time he was home, that he asked me to hide and protect. Come here Hunter." A small Houndour came crawling over to me and started licking me. "This pokemon belonged to my son before he headed off to join Team Radiance. Also know that this Houndour is the younger brother of the Houndoom you fought today. I would like you to bring Hunter along with you, as you two may be the only ones who can save Seth from what he has become. So please, save my boy."

"I will stop him. I can't promise anything more than that." I said, still bitter from the battle.

"Very well. Hunter, you will be traveling with Grey from now on. Please take care." Hunter barked playfully and licked me just before I sent it into its pokeball. "Why don't we go eat before the food gets cold."? The two of us walked out and sat down with everyone else. Mr. Pokemon told everyone that he gave me Hunter, but skipped the part about Seth being his son.

I slept next to my two recovering pokemon that night, and was joined by Raven and Hunter. It was nice sleeping in a huge pile, although I wished it was under better circumstances.

"Is G okay?" I asked Darkrai after I fell asleep.

"I cannot say…" Darkrai replied. "You battled wonderfully today. Please get some rest Hero."

And so I finished dreaming and went to sleep. I needed my rest to start my journey. A journey not only to become the ultimate trainer, but also to avenge the one who have been hurt. Amphy, and G as well.


	8. Chapter 8: Parting Ways I

Chapter 8: Parting Ways

Location: Mr. Pokemon's House (Route 30)

358 Days until Silver Conference

"How are you all feeling today?" Mr. Pokemon asked us as we sat down for breakfast. Despite the fact that we were still shaken up, we were all well rested, and our pokemon were healed. Even without G, the plan was to remain the same. Justin, Zeji, Aaron, Timber and I were heading out towards Violet City, where I would battle the Gym Leader, Falkner, and Justin would compete in his first contest. On the way, we would drop Zeji and Aaron off at the doubles arena at the town's gate. And finally, Timber would go to Sprout Tower to obtain the Toxic Plate. Karen was setting out to find the six hidden Plates, while Professor Elm examined each Plate and it's effects. Mr. Pokemon temporarily took over G's investigation into Team Radiances base.

"I'm okay, I just wish I had gotten to see my brother before he left this morning." Aaron said. Aron and Poliwag were sitting next to their trainer eating, as Aaron pet them both on the head. "We were always so close growing up, so it's weird that we are going to be spending so much time apart." Aaron looked down at his pokemon: "But we're not alone."

"Ya, Aaron. I'm your teammate now. The two of us should go outside and train. Justin is already training with Timber outside. And he's gotta practice appeals, too. Must be rough." The two of them got up and headed for the backyard, leaving me alone with Karen, as Professor Elm and Mr. Pokemon were deep in conversation.

"Would you like to train a bit, Grey? Umbreon could use some exercise after resting all night. What do you say?"

I looked down at my pokemon and then said to her: "Sure, I just need a few minutes to speak with my team. I will meet you outside." She smiled and walked outside, leaving me alone with my team. I looked at the four of them and said: "Okay I know that we haven't gotten the chance yet, but I would like to introduce you guys to one another. Caycee was my first pokemon that I caught over a year ago back home." Caycee climbed on my back and chuckled. "Next I caught Raven hear back on the ship. Yesterday Karen gave me Leo, and Mr. Pokemon gave Hunter to me. Now I think I should tell you guys that Hunter's old trainer was the one with the Houndoom yesterday." I waited for a reaction but the only one I got was a sad look from Leo. "Leo…I know what happened to you and I'm sorry. I promise we'll stop the person who did it." To my surprise, Leo trusted me. Even though he was formally an Elite Four pokemon, he seemed willing to listen to an average trainer.

"Absols have the ability to detect danger and great power. Leo must see great potential in you if he obeys you. It's just further proof of who you are destined to be." Karen said, walking back in the room. "Are you ready to battle?"

"Ya, I'm ready."

Karen and I walked outside, where my friends were seated to watch me fight the champion. "Three versus three okay with you?" She asked.

"Sure, sounds good to me. I'll start out with this. Go, Hunter!" The black dog popped out and growled fiercely.

"Go, Umbreon!" Karen's Umbreon came out growling even louder. "Timber will be refereeing this match."

"Begin!" Shouted Timber.

"Hunter, use Ember!" my pup began spitting out flames at Umbreon who retaliated by using Double Team. "Whoa, she didn't even need to say anything, I'm in way over my head." Umbreon created several clones of itself that all began tackling Hunter.

"This move is Payback." And with that Hunter was down.

"Hunter is unable to battle," Announced Timber.

"You ready, Caycee?" She nodded and jumped in front of me. "Use Low Kick!" Caycee darted towards Umbreon who was helpless against its speed.

"Payback Umbreon. Payback's power goes up if its target is faster than the user." I didn't have time to respond before Umbreon knocked Caycee out. I picked Caycee up and gave her to Justin to hold.

"You get rest, Caycee. It's up to you, Leo!" The Absol popped out of its ball and glared at Umbreon. "Use Stone Edge." Leo tossed rocks at Umbreon, which caused its Double Team to fade, and even hit Umbreon.

"Payback Umbreon." Umbreon went to tackle Leo, when I realized I had my chance.

"Use Superpower, Leo!" Leo focused all its power into one amazing charge. The two pokemon collided and kicked up a tremendous amount of dust. When the dust cleared, Umbreon was knocked out, and Leo was left standing. "Return, Leo." I returned my pokemon before it fainted.

"Why did you return your pokemon?" Karen asked.

"Absol was exhausted, it'd be abuse to expect more of him. Anyway, it was a great match, Karen. I learned a lot, thank you." I picked Caycee up out of Justin's arms and walked back inside. I managed to knock out one of the Champion's pokemon; I wasn't about to complain about it.

"Ready to go, Grey?" Zeji asked me as I woke my pokemon up.

"Ya, I'll be out in a second," I said as Caycee climbed playfully into her normal backpack position. I returned all my other pokemon to their pokeballs and walked out the door. "You ready to travel like we planned Caycee? She laughed and poked me gently (which hurt a lot). "Heh, then let's go."

As I walked outside, Karen, Professor Elm and Mr. Pokemon greeted me. "You'll be great. Not just anyone can take down Umbreon," Karen said with a smile. She saw us off and pointed us towards the path leading to Violet City. "There are a lot of new trainers around here, so it's a great place for light training. I'm going to head back to the base now, call me if you need anything, or find anything out. Good luck to all of you." She turned around and started mumbling to herself. I think she was going to say something else to us, but I didn't push it.

We continued walking west, challenging the various trainers we encountered. While they didn't pose a huge challenge, they did help our pokemon grow quite a bit. It also helped Justin practice some contest moves, and Zeji and Aaron gain better synchronization. After a few hours we reached the Violet City Gate.

"Well, this is our stop "We'll see you later." Zeji said as he and Aaron found the line for double registration. "We'll meet up at the pokemon center tonight." And with that, the two of them were off. The remaining three of us headed into town to find out respective destinations. After we passed the pokemon center, Justin and I head west, while Timber headed north.

"I'm finally here," I said as Justin and we arrived in front of the Violet City Gym. "Good luck Justin."

"Thanks, and same to you, Grey. I'm sure you'll do fine though."

I walked into the Gym and sat down to watch the current match in progress. The Gym Leader was using a Pidgeot, and the challenger, a Magcargo. Unfortunately for the trainer, the Pidgeot was far too strong, and his lava snail fell. I watched in awe as the trainer left defeated. "Now, who's next?" asked the Gym Leader.

_Zeji and Aaron_

"For those who don't know, here are the rules to the Johto Doubles League: All contestants must remain with the same partner throughout the League and may only enter one pokemon per competition each. In order to make it to the Johto Cup, Teams must come in the top 4 in at least 4 competitions during the year! Now, let's meet our contestants!"

Zeji and Aaron both took the stage along with fifteen other pairs of trainers. They even recognized a few teams such as Tyro and Koil, as well as the not so happy couple, Parry and Rosa. The team that were defeated by Tyro and Koil on the ship were also present, looking less than confidant.

"Hey Zeji," Aaron pointed at the main screen "Look at that, we're fighting Parry and Rosa again. This will be a snap."

"Heh ya. Let's head up to the arena, we're up first."

_Timber_

Timber climbed the sprout tower, using Chimchar and Meditite's type advantages to the Bellsprouts that filled the tower. It seemed that the sages wanted to make obtaining the Plate as challenging as possible. Once Timber reached the top of the tower, one of the sages stepped forward. "I am the head sage here. Karen alerted us of your visit. Now, engage me in battle. Three pokemon each."

Timber looked at his already exhausted pokemon. "Are you up for this?" they all nodded. "Okay then let's get started."

_Justin_

Justin stood on stage, waiting for his name to be called. "Our next contestant is, Justin!" When he heard his name, Justin ran out, feigning confidence.

"I can do this. Let's go Pikachu! Use Thunderbolt!" Pikachu shot out a yellow shock and stood by for his next command. "Now Thunder Wave!" Pikachu combined his blue Thunder Wave into the mix to create a green, lightning storm throughout the arena. After it all calmed down the crowed went wild "We did it Pikachu," Justin sighed in relief.

_ Zeji and Aaron_

"You two suck. We beat you twice without putting much effort in." Zeji said with a grin on his face. Parry and Rosa had failed to win once again, giving Cyndaquil and Poliwag an easy win.

"Parry! This is all the fault of your stupid Magikarp." Yelled Rosa, as the duo argued there way off stage.

Zeji and Aaron then saw that they were paired up with Heckle and Tricky, although they had no idea who they were. "We'll win no matter what, Zeji. Don't worry. Now let's head out for round two. If we win this round we move one step closer to heading to the finals." The two of them continued to head on stage where twins, a boy and girl greeted them. The two couldn't have been any older than ten years old. Of course, Zeji and Aaron couldn't stop laughing

"Hello I am Heckle, and this is my sister, Tricky. I'm sorry that you cannot win tonight." This statement shut the cocky duo up.

_Justin_

Justin looked up at the board, delighted to see that he made it to the battle rounds. His mood suddenly dropped when he realized his first opponent was his former roommate, Zane. "Zane…No…"

_Grey_

"So you are the one I've heard so much about. I am the Violet City Gym Leader, Falkner. Karen seems to have high hopes for you, so I'd like to go all out as well. As far as earning Plates from Gym Leaders goes, you must defeat the Gym Leader at full strength, which means we will both be able to substitute pokemon. So now come join me in battle.

_Grey VS Falkner_

_Justin VS Zane_

_Zeji and Aaron VS Heckle and Tricky_

_Timber VS Elder Li_

_To be continued._


	9. Chapter 9: Parting Ways II

Chapter 9: Parting Ways, Pt.2

_Location: Violet City_

_358 Days until Silver Conference_

_Grey VS Falkner_

"Go all out?" I asked facing the Gym Leader. "What do you mean?"

"I mean I will use my full team against you, making this battle a six versus six battle. You do have six pokemon, don't you?"

"No, I only have four, I can't be expected to win against a full team, am I?"

Falkner stared at me and then laughed. "No, no. If you only have four then I will use four as well, but just know that other leaders may not be as generous. Anyway, let's begin."

"Both Gym Leader and Trainer may use four pokemon and substitute them freely. Both the Zephyr Badge and the Sky Plate are on the line," announced the referee.

I glared at Falkner who picked up a pokeball and tossed it, shouting: "Go, Noctowl!" A large owl pokemon popped out and screeched. If he was going to use flying types, then I knew Caycee would be my trump card, so I decided to start strong.

"Go, Leo!" Leo popped out ready to attack. An Elite Four pokemon shouldn't have any trouble a gym leader, or at least that's what I thought.

"Begin!"

"Noctowl use Featherdance!" Noctowl flapped its wings and covered Leo in a blanket of down. "Now use Air Slash!"

I saw my chance as the owl prepared its attack. "Use Sucker Punch, Leo" Leo did as commanded and hit Noctowl dead on; the attack however seemed to little to know damage.

"Hahaha. Sorry Grey, but Featherdance lowered your offensive capabilities, so your attacks won't be doing too much. Now Noctowl use Air Slash!" the owl shot a blade of wind at Leo knocking him back. Leo got back on his feet and looked at me.

"Use Stone Edge, Leo." Falkner flinched and tried to command Noctowl, but was to late to prevent the hit from landing.

"Very smart, Grey. You abused the super effectiveness of Stone Edge in order to cancel out Featherdance. Noctowl return for now." Falkner grabbed another pokeball and said: "Go, Staraptor!" A large black and white bird popped out and squawked at Leo, causing him to flinch. "That's Staraptor's intimidate ability, which lowers your attack even further, now your Absol will be as gentle as a lamb."

I knew he was right, but there was one thing he failed to realize, at least I hoped. "Leo, return." By returning Leo his attack would be brought back to normal. For now I had to take down his Staraptor. "Go, Hunter!" Hunter came out with a howl. "Use Thunder Fang!" Falkner jumped as he saw the electrical attack hit his bird.

"Use Close Combat!" his bird tried to approach Hunter to use one powerful attack, but in doing so he lowered his guard.

"Hunter, use Sucker Punch!" And with that, his Staraptor fell to the ground.

"Staraptor is unable to battle, the winner is Houndour."

'Yes! One down,' I thought to myself. I still had three more pokemon of his to deal with, and Leo wasn't in great shape.

"Fine. Come back out, Noctowl!" the owl returned to field. "Use Featherdance!" With that, Hunter was covered in the same down that Leo had been covered in. Fortunately for me, I had expected it this time.

"Now use Ember, Hunter!" Hunter's flame hit dead on and his burning bird fell to the ground. "As I thought. Your Featherdance only lowers the power of physical moves, so special moves like Ember aren't affected."

"Noctowl is unable to battle! The winner is Houndour!"

"Not bad Grey, you've taken a considerable lead," Falkner stated, completely unshaken. "But it's time to end that here. Come on out, Swellow!" a blue and white bird soared out and flew around Hunter.

"Hunter use Ember!" Hunter landed a direct hit on the bird, which became burnt.

Falkner chuckled. "Exactly what I was expecting. You acted my Swellow's Guts ability. When burnt my Swellow's power goes way up! Now use Façade!" Swellow's massive power and blinding speed overwhelmed Hunter who fell to the ground.

"Houndour is unable to battle! Swellow is the winner!"

"Damn, so your plan was to use Featherdance to force me to use my fire type move. No wonder you're a Gym Leader, Falkner." I looked at my pokemon, and realized only Leo had the power to compete with this pokemon. "Go, Leo!" Leo was clearly weak, so I knew I had to finish this fast. "Use Stone Edge!"

"Dodge it Swellow, and use Façade!" Swellow was still powered by guts, and easily dodged the rocks and counter attacked.

"Absol is unable to battle! Swellow is the winner!"

"Let's go, Caycee!" I commanded as my Sneasel jumped out in front of me. "Now use Ice Shard!" I threw a high-speed icicle at the bird, which couldn't dodge it, even with its speed.

"Swellow, use Façade!" I had the damn bird and I knew it.

"Caycee use Punishment." Falkner froze. "Punishment gets more powerful the stronger its target is. The power boost from Guts mixed with Facades effect of boosting power when burnt has dug your Swellow's grave." Caycee smashed Swellow with amazing strength, knocking it into the ground.

"Swellow is unable to battle! The winner is Sneasel!"

"Grey, you truly are amazing. But it's time for me to end this. Go, Pidgeot!" His final bird flew out to avenge its fallen brethren. "Now use Return!" Pidgeot focused its soul and tackle Caycee with full force.

"Caycee, use Ice Shard!" The attack hit, but barely put a dent in the bird. "Try an Aerial Ace."

"Counter with Return, Pidgeot!" both pokemon collided in midair, and fell to the ground. Unfortunately, only Pidgeot stood back up.

"Sneasel is unable to battle! Pidgeot is the winner!" I picked Caycee up and looked at my last pokeball. Out of all my pokemon, Raven had the least experience battling, but at this point I didn't have a choice.

"Go, Raven!" My Murkrow squawked at the larger bird as he made his entrance. "Now use Astonish!" While it didn't do too much damage it at least threw Pidgeot of balance long enough for him to use his next attack. "Haze!" Murkrow covered the entire field in smoke. Pidgeot easily blew it away and charged at my crow.

"Return, now!" Pidgeot tackle my bird who went flying upwards.

"C'mon Raven! You can do it!" Just as I said that Raven began glowing in a similar fashion to the Crobat I had fought the previous day. I knew what move that was. "Use Brave Bird!" Raven charged straight at Pidgeot, who stood there stunned.

"Pidgeot, retaliate with return!" Pidgeot charged towards Raven with equal power. The two pokemon collided in a small patch of the Haze that had lingered, making it impossible for us to see the results. After the Haze cleared, it was obvious who had won.

"Pidgeot is unable to battle! The winner is Murkrow! This match goes to the challenger, Grey!"

"You did it, Raven! And you learned Brave Bird!" The black bird screeched proudly as Falkner approached me.

"That was an excellent match, you even managed to defeat Pidgeot powered up by the Sky Plate." Pidgeot flew over to us and began to glow. "Here, this Sky Plate is yours along with this." Falkner opened his hand to reveal a badge. "This is the Zephyr Badge. You earned both of them." A large, blue piece of metal appeared in front of Pidgeot. "This is the Sky Plate. Please bring this to Professor Elm." With that Falkner walked away. I put the badge in my case and Caycee walked over to me. "Let's go bring this to the Pokemon Center."

"Sneasel!" cheered Caycee, weakly, yet happily.

_Zeji and Aaron VS Heckle and Tricky._

"Wow they're really tough, aren't they Aaron?" Zeji said, as the two boys realized that these were not opponents to underestimate.

_ Next time: Double Battle Conclusion!_


	10. Chapter 10: Parting Ways III

Chapter 10: Parting Ways, Pt. 3

_Location: Violet City_

_358 Days until Silver Conference_

"Poliwag, go!" called Aaron as the tadpole hopped out.

"You too, Cyndaquil!" Zeji called out. "Let's show these kids how it's done."

Heckle and Tricky started to chuckle in unison. "How foolish you two are. Beginners in your field, and yet you are quite confidant that you are better than us." Heckle said as he released his pokemon. "Gastly, teach them a lesson in humility."

"Yes, and Vulpix, you shall join in the conquest. Will-o-Wisp." The attack came as soon as the pokemon came out, burning Poliwag with wisp flames. Poliwag doused itself in order to cool off the burn.

"Cyndaquil use Ember!" Zeji commanded as Cyndaquil jumped in to protect his teammate from further harm. Cyndaquil shot flames from its mouth hitting Vulpix, who just stood and absorbed it.

"That is Vulpix's Flash Fire ability," Tricky said flatly. "It allows Vulpix to absorb flames and use them to power up. Now use Flamethrower." The small fox breathed a huge amount of fire injuring both Cyndaquil and Poliwag.

"Poliwag, use Water Gun!" Aaron shouted. Poliwag dowsed the flames surrounding the arena and knocked Vulpix back more than a few feet. Vulpix recovered walked over to its teammate.

"Gastly, use Will-o-Wisp," said Heckle, equally as flat as his sister. Gastly shot more blue flames but this time at Vulpix.

Zeji broke into a hysterical fit of laughter. "Oh man, now they're attacking each other! Cyndaquil, burn Gastly with Ember." Zeji didn't even notice Aaron shoot him a worried look.

"Zeji don't! Poliwag, use Water Gun to stop the Ember." Aaron shouted. "Zeji, when Gastly used Will-o-Wisp, it boosted Vulpix's power. Had that Ember reached them, Vulpix would have jumped in the way and absorbed it."

Zeji stopped and absorbed the information. "Wow they're really tough, aren't they Aaron? I guess, we really can't hold back anymore."

Suddenly, the twins stopped chuckling. "Don't bluff, you don't have anymore tricks up your sleeves." Heckle said. "Now lose gracefully."

"Just as practiced, right Zeji?" Aaron asked, grinning.

Zeji nodded and then shouted: "Cyndaquil use Ember!" Cyndaquil shot flames towards the two opposing pokemon and as predicted, Vulpix jumped in front of them. "Heh, your turn Aaron."

"Poliwag use Water Gun on the Ember and Vulpix." Poliwag jumped next Vulpix and blew it away, along with turning the Ember into steam. The steam created a thick fog around the four pokemon, and then Cyndaquil went in for the kill.

"Use Ember now." Cyndaquil jumped in front of Gastly was too far away for Vulpix to find. Gastly went flying towards Poliwag who used Water Gun on it, knocking it back to Cyndaquil. This back and forth attack eventually knocked Gastly out."

"Gastly is unable to battle!"

"W-What?" Heckle said returning his Gastly. "Tricky, finish this."

"Overheat!" shouted Tricky as her Vulpix shot a large flame towards Cyndaquil and Poliwag. The two pokemon were hit head on with the massive power of the flame. The arena got covered in an inferno that prevented either trainer from seeing their pokemon. When the flames dissipated, Poliwag and Cyndaquil were both just barely conscious. N-NO! Shouted Tricky. "We won't lose. We can't lose. Overheat! NOW!" the pokemon shot out a noticeably smaller flame towards Poliwag.

"Water Pulse!" Aaron shouted. Poliwag then created waves of water that covered the Overheat, as well as Vulpix.

"Vulpix is unable to battle! The winners are Cyndaquil and Poliwag!"

"We did it man! We made it to the top four! Just three more to go!" Zeji said to Aaron. The two turned around to find that the twins had disappeared. "That's weird."

"You two made it to the semifinals?" I asked. "That's awesome. You're a quarter of the way to the Johto Cup already, and it's only your first time." The two of them were ecstatic. "So why bother fighting past now if you already got your first victory?"

"If we win the whole thing today, it will count as two wins. Meaning that two victories in these tournaments will lead straight to the Johto Cup," Zeji stated. "And next, we're going up against Tyro and Koil. We finally got our chance to redeem ourselves."

"Well don't get too cocky, It almost ruined last round for you," I said to Zeji who looked at his next opponents. "You know that Tyro and Koil are strong."

"Ya, I know. But we're still gonna win. C'mon Aaron." Aaron looked back at me and whispered: "He really is cocky, and it's holding us back." The two of them walked off to compete, and I moved to my seat in the audience.

"Semifinal battle number two! Tyro and Koil versus Zeji and Aaron! Battle start!"

"Sandshrew, use Dig!" Tyro's pokemon dug underground leading Cyndaquil and Poliwag to panic.

"Calm down and jump Cyndaquil!" Zeji called out Sandshrew jumped out too late only to land directly in between Cyndaquil and Poliwag.

"Poliwag use Water Pulse!" Poliwag hit Sandshrew directly with a wave of water. Sandshrew shrugged it off and jumped back into the hole it came from.

"Roselia! Sleep powder!" Koil called out, attempting the same strategy that had worked on the ship.

"Cyndaquil use Smokescreen!" Cyndaquil shot smoke out with allowed both pokemon to avoid the Sleep Powder. "Go, Aaron!"

"Poliwag, use Hypnosis!" With that, Poliwag jumped in front of Roselia put it to sleep. A bright glow came from underground, and suddenly Poliwag was unconscious on the floor.

"Poliwag is unable to battle!"

"Caycee, did Sandshrew hide underground to evolve?" Sneasel nodded and we looked at the now evolved Sandslash and Roselia staring down a frightened Cyndaquil.

"Cyndaquil, return" Zeji said as he returned his pokemon and walked off the stage. Aaron followed him but Zeji just kept moving faster.

"Let's go Caycee. We gotta follow him." We ran downstairs and outside where we found Zeji sitting on a bench, looking away from a worried Aaron.

"We didn't even put up a fight. It's my fault. I got overconfident. I ruined everyth…"

"You didn't ruin anything, you idiot! We placed in the top four; we won! So what if we lost to Tyro and Koil, they have a lot more experience. We are a great team, so don't get upset over every loss."

Zeji stared Aaron and said, "I know, I just hate losing. Let's go guys." We looked at him as he got up. "I'm really fine, I'm just being a sore loser." We headed for the Pokemon Center to meet up with the others, but I knew the entire walk Aaron and I were thinking the same thing: "Was he really just being a sore loser?"

_Timber VS Elder Li_

"Do you not understand yet, young breeder. I am the sage of sages. This battle is truly over your head." Timber stood on the brink of defeat, with the world's fate in his hands.

_Next time: The Toxic Plate_


	11. Chapter 11: Parting Ways and Reuniting

Chapter 11: Parting Ways, and Reuniting Stronger

_Location: Violet City_

_358 Days until Silver Conference_

"I am the head sage here. Karen alerted us of your visit. Now, engage me in battle. Three pokemon each."

Timber looked at his already exhausted pokemon. "Are you up for this?" they all nodded. "Okay then let's gets started. You first, Ditto." Ditto hopped onto the field, ready for action.

"Come out, Bellsprout!" A small pokemon, with a literal twig for a body popped out of its pokeball. It stared blankly at Ditto, and then began to charge. "Use Vine Whip!" Bellsprout extended vines out of its body, which it used to grab a hold of Ditto. The weird thing was that Bellsprout seemed reluctant to follow commands.

"Slip out of it Ditto!" Timber commanded as the pokemon simply reshaped its body and slipped free. "Use Transform!" Ditto changed form, becoming an exact replica of Bellsprout. "Now use Vine Whip!" Apparently, the poor pokemon had never battled its own kind, as it struggled helplessly as its already skinny body was constricted. The pokemon slipped out of consciousness after a few moments.

"Bellsprout is unable to battle!" said one of the other sages.

"Weepinbell! Finish this!" Elder Li screamed. Timber stood in confusion, wondering why the man before him was so angry. Then it hit him…Bellsprout was disobeying, and their could be only one reason for that.

"Ditto, use Transform on Weepinbell. Weepinbell, it's okay come here! I'll save you," he said, as the pokemon looked at him with hopeful eyes. "Ditto bind the elder, he's a fake!" Ditto obliged, binding the imposter, and ripping off his skin mask. "You're…!"

"Well now, I believe you were one of Karen's new puppies," Silver said with a twisted smile. The other sages (who were of course Radiance grunts) sent out a swarm of Zubats against Timber who quickly scooped up the fallen Bellsprout, Weepinbell and his own Ditto and ran out of the room. Upon reaching the bottom of the stairs, Timber was met with a swarm of Radiance grunts and Zubats. "Hand over those pokemon, or else!" Silver threatened.

"This is it, isn't it?" Timber thought to himself, as he clutched the three pokemon in his arms. "I'm sorry you guys."

"Thundershock, all of you!" called a familiar voice from behind Timber. Three bolts of lightning took out the Zubats surrounding Timber, as Pikachu, Rotom and a small lamb with a blue face walked in alongside Justin as Radiance grunts fell to the floor. "Are you okay, Timber?" Justin asked as he walked over to his friend.

Timber looked up at his friend. "Just-in time for the party, huh?" he said, chuckling at his own joke. Timber looked at the blue-faced pokemon and said: "I see your egg hatched into a healthy Mareep. Amphy would be proud."

"Ya, but now's not the time. Let's grab the Toxic Plate and meet the others." The two of them stood facing Silver, who was steaming mad.

"Crobat, lunchtime…" He muttered to a pokeball as the bat flew out towards Weepinbell. The poor pokemon shrieked when it saw the bat, but Pikachu swatted it away with Thundershock. Crobat rose back and re-routed towards Pikachu.

"Pikachu…it's time!" Justin yelled as he reached into his pocket, retrieving a yellow stone from his pocket. "We will stop you, Team Radiance. Now catch this, Pikachu." Justin tossed the stone at his pokemon, who collided with it and began to glow.

_Earlier that day_

"The winner is Justin! Congratulations! Here are your prizes, the Violet Ribbon and one more special gift." The announcer yelled as she walked over to Justin carrying a ribbon and a stone. "This stone was left by one of your earlier opponents, Zane," She whispered to him. "You should thank him later."

Justin ran out to catch Zane outside, and approached him saying: "I can't accept this!"

Zane stared at him. He started chuckling and said: "I don't need it, you do. You're gonna be a top rank coordinator, but you need to learn that your victories aren't flukes. You hatched an egg in between rounds in order to switch pokemon, which means that your pokemon feel truly connected to you even before birth. Use that skill to your advantage…" Zane started walking away, but turned back to say: "And next time you disappear after being trapped in a huge incident, call me to let me know you're okay…I was worried." Zane then left, leaving Justin alone.

_Back at the Sprout Tower_

Pikachu evolved right in the middle of battle, exploding into a huge ball of electricity. Raichu then started electrocuting all of the grunts, but had completely lost control. "Justin, Raichu can't control that level of electricity!" Timber yelled. He evolved again too fast; he's still in a Pichu's mindset. Return him, now!" Justin obliged and the two trainers braced for impact as Silver's Crobat swooped down towards them.

"Aipom, grab the pokeball off the purple-haired ones belt." A small monkey like pokemon used its hand-shaped tail to grab the last stolen pokeball. Two trainers walked over to the Aipom, preventing Silver from retaliating. His trainer's hesitance caused Crobat to make a U-turn back towards the monkey. The young female trainer who had called out the attack walked over to Aipom and picked up the pokeball. She then handed the pokeball to the other trainer, the true Elder Li.

"Go, Victreebel!" He commanded as a large plant pokemon intercepted Crobat's attack. Crobat jumped back towards his master, as Silver grew angry.

"Let's go, Crobat!" He yelled as he jumped onto his bat who flew out the door and up into the sky. Justin, Timber, Li and the girl gave chase but to no avail. "Goodbye all, and thank you for the Toxic Plate!" He said as he flew off.

Elder Li brought everyone back to the pokemon center where Zeji, Aaron and I were told what the situation was. The police showed up, along with Karen, who looked at us and smiled. "You guys did great, you did get a plate today, and 23 Radiance grunts were arrested. Looks like the admin didn't mind leaving them behind." I handed Karen the Sky Plate. "Thank you, Grey. We finally have a Plate in our possession. You all deserve some rest, as do your pokemon. Justin, can you come with me." Justin walked towards Karen, and handed her a pokeball.

Elder Li then walked over to us along with the girl who had helped out in the tower. Elder Li took Timber's hand, and placed something inside of it. "Thank you for saving out tower. If it had not been for you, they would have taken all of our pokemon as well as our lives." Timber looked down. "Don't look that way, son. I'm sure the Toxic Plate will make its way back into the right hands. Now please, take my Weepinbell with you. I'm sure he will help on your journey." Elder Li walked away as Timber clutched the pokeball that was placed in his hand.

Justin walked back over to us and said: "She said that Raichu just has to learn to control his electrical powers. She said she would help him with that tonight. I'm sorry Timber…"

"Why are you sorry, you saved my life. I'm sorry for getting so upset before, I was panicked. I'm sure Raichu will be fine, so let's rest."

All five of us failed to notice the girl that had been standing next to us the entire time we'd been talking. She pouted and then gestured for attention. "You're welcome!" She said, sarcastically.

Timber turned to her and said: "Ah yes, everyone, this girl and her Aipom helped save us in the sprout tower. Her name is… umm… what was your name?"

"Zoe, not that you ever asked," she said giggling. "It's nice to meet you all, my name is Zoe and I'm from Hearthome City in Sinnoh. I am a pokemon breeder, and I've come to Johto since it's where pokemon breeding was discovered. When Professor Elm said he was too tied up to talk, Ms. Champion over there explained the situation to me. She even brought me here to help." Everyone looked shocked… obviously because of how quickly Karen had reacted to the Sprout Tower incident. "And this is Aipom, she's been with me as long as I can remember!" Aipom took a bow and giggled in sync with Zoe.

We caught Zoe up on the details that Karen hadn't informed her of, and learned more about her. She was only 16, yet at 6'2 was taller than all of us. After talking for a while, she stopped us took a breath and said: "Listen, I know this is a lot to ask, but umm… can I go along with you guys? I don't know anyone here, and Karen along with Elder Li have been so nice to me, that I want to help stop Team Radiance. So please take me with you."

Everyone looked at me, because at some meeting that I must have missed, I was put in charge of recruitment. "Sure you can come along, Zoe. Welcome to the group!" I said just in time to be knocked to the ground by a tight hug from the gigantic girl.

"Thank you, Grey. I promise I won't hold you guys back. Oh let me introduce you to my team!" She sent out two more pokemon, a pink one with a huge tongue, and a green pokemon covered in vines. "These are LIckitung and Tangela. Them and Aipom are my life." She returned the two pokemon, while Aipom crawled into her lap. She then smiled and we went back to talking.

After about an hour Karen came back with a smiling Raichu, who jumped into Justin's arms. "He should be fine now Justin, just give him a day off to recover. I want you all to stay here tonight, as you all had an exhausting day. Several acquaintances of mine will be arriving in the morning, and I want you to meet them all. In the mean time, the six of you are to go to bed immediately, as you can't afford to be exhausted. I will be back after delivering the Sky Plate to Professor Elm." Karen walked out the door, as the six of us headed upstairs.

I laid in bed, and then started talking to Justin. He explained to me that after fighting Zane, his egg hatched into a Mareep, and he won the contest while the newborn was watching. So I had a badge, Justin had a Ribbon and Mareep, Timber had a new pokemon as well, Zeji and Aaron became a closer team, the Sky Plate was safe, and most of all, I had a new friend, Zoe. As I drifted off, Darkrai appeared (which became less nightmarish and more of a conversation each time).

"You did well today, your friends as well. Don't worry about the Plates that were stolen, as there are still 13 left to be found."

"Can I ask something, why didn't Pidgeot or Victreebel go berserk like Amphy did? They both had plates removed."

"If a pokemon gives up the Plate of its own accord, like Pidgeot did, then it will not go berserk. As for Victreebel, it seems Team Radiance found a cleaner way to remove the Plates from pokemon, which seems to be a mixed blessing. Even though the pokemon are not hurt, it makes the Plates easier to obtain. Now then, I must attend to other matters now, Grey. Sleep well."

"Goodbye, Darkrai," I said as the dream began to fade.

"We shall truly meet soon, my friend," was the last thing I heard him say.

_West of Violet City_

Silver arrived to find, Vera, Seth and the boss, waiting. He handed the Toxic Plates over to his master, almost tripping over the injured Sudowoodo on the ground. "What do you want done with this, sir?" He asked referring to the pokemon.

"Nothing, its life is inconsequential. We received the Toxic and Stone Plates. Now let's head north. The others are planning to invade Goldenrod City in five days time. We should have finished with Ecruteak by then. Vera, it's your time to prove yourself now."

The three admins bowed their heads as their boss walked off. Silver looked at his fellow Radiance admins and asked: I'm still no happy with there being four other Radiance admins that we don't know. I mean, are they as strong as us?"

"Of course not, Silver. Don't be an idiot."

Seth closed his eyes and muttered. "Don't be too sure, there's no way to tell." Vera and Silver looked at him nervously, and the three walked off into the night.


	12. Chapter 12: The Champion's Council

Chapter 12: Champion's Council

_Location: Violet City_

_357 Days until Silver Conference_

I woke up the next morning completely rested, something that hadn't been happening a lot lately. Justin was still asleep, so I quietly got up and went to take a shower. When I got back, I changed and soon I heard a knock on the door.

"Wake up guys," Karen said, effectively waking Justin up. "There are people I want you all to meet, so get washed up and come down here." I heard Karen walk away as Justin stumbled out of bed.

"Grey, you go on ahead. I'll be down in about thirty minutes. Let Karen know I'm getting ready."

"Sure, I'll see you soon, Justin." I said as I walked out into the hallway.

I went over and checked on Timber first, but he seemed to have already left. Zeji and Aaron slept through Karen's wake-up call, and were both snoring loudly. "Wake up you two. We gotta get downstairs."

"Ugh, not now Brawly," Aaron said, causing me to roll my eyes.

"C'mon guys really!" I said over and over, eventually pulling them out of bed.

After getting them up I knocked on Zoe's door, and she walked out as bright eyed as ever. "Good morning!" she said excitedly. Great, she was a morning person. "I'm ready to go, so let's head down." She and I headed downstairs where we found Timber sitting with Karen and three people I didn't recognize. One was a young man, with red hair and a cape, another had silver hair and a purple and black jacket, and the last was a blonde-haired woman dressed all in black. Zoe and I walked over to them and Karen gestured for us to sit down.

"Grey, Zoe, I would like to introduce you to Lance, Steven and Cynthia, champions of the Kanto, Hoenn and Sinnoh regions. Lance was also the former champion of Johto before the two regions split their Elite Four.

"Nice to meet you all," Zoe said, as I nodded politely.

"I invited them all here to discuss the situation surrounding Team Radiance, and they have agreed to offer their assistance. Our forces are definitely as strong if not stronger than Team Radiance now, as four champions can easily defeat three admins. The unfortunate thing is that we have no idea where Team Radiances base is or when they will strike, allowing them to go about their business. If we can locate their base of operations then we will be able to deal a deadly blow to them. As such the four of us will each guard a corner of the region. I will guard the area between New Bark Town and Violet City."

Lance stood up and proudly declared: "As I'm originally from Blackthorn City, I will guard the area between it and Ecruteak. Steven has agreed to guard everything from Olivine City to Cianwood City, as being from Hoenn has adjusted him to areas surrounded by water. As for Cynthia, she said she would be fine covering the Azalea Town and Goldenrod City areas."

Cynthia stood up and smiled gently at us as she said, "I will travel with you west of here, but from there I will be going to Goldenrod City. I recommend that you go to Azalea Town to collect the badge and Plate down there before meeting up with me in Goldenrod." Zeji, Aaron and Justin walked down the stairs and Karen went over to them to catch them up. Cynthia looked back at us and continued: "I will bring you to the ruins, where we will split up. After that, I would like you to head to Azalea via Route 32 and the Union Cave."

"Okay, but why don't we just go to Goldenrod and then Azalea?" I asked?

"The gym leader in Goldenrod hasn't been chosen yet. Whitney, the former gym leader, joined the Elite Four after Karen was promoted to Champion." Lance responded.

"When all of you are ready, come meet me at Violet City's west exit." Cynthia said, as she headed out the door.

The conference then was spent repeating all the information we already knew. Justin, Zeji and Aaron joined us eventually and we all sat there listening to Karen speak.

After everyone had finished, Steven approached me. "If you run into him, you should talk with my nephew Kyle. He is quite a skilled trainer as well, you two would probably get along nicely."

"Okay, I'll keep an eye out for him." I said as I stood up.

He smiled and walked away as we all returned to our rooms to pack our things.

We met Cynthia and Karen at the western gate, and Karen said goodbye as we all headed off. After walking for a while, Cynthia stopped dead in her tracks and ran over to a pokemon that was lying on the ground. "We have to head back to Violet City, this pokemon is severely wounded. We all hurried to pick up the injured Sudowoodo and carried it back to Violet City. We brought it back to the pokemon center, where Karen was surprised to see us back.

We all stayed in the center to make sure the pokemon was okay, and Karen came out soon and spoke to us: "It's wounds are extremely similar to the Ampharos' in the Olivine Lighthouse. It must have been carrying a Plate with it. This also means that Team Radiance now has at least three Plates. I want you all to be on your guard when traveling tonight, as they may still be in the area."

After we gathered ourselves once more, we set out once again, albeit more cautiously. We reached the Ruins of Alph, where Cynthia was to split off from us.

"I want you all to stay safe. Zoe, here take this. It's called a Cleanse Tag, it will keep you safe." She looked down, almost seeming upset with herself. "Unfortunately, this is all I can do for you all. Please take care, and let me know the moment you make it to the Route 32 pokemon center."

"We will," I said and shook her hand. We all headed south as she disappeared into the distance. "Let's go guys."

We walked down the trail until we eventually ran into an intense battle. What surprised me was that one of the trainers was James. He was using his Tyrogue against a Raticate and was easily winning the battle. After the two trainers finished battling, Tyrogue began to glow, as he changed form into a larger pokemon with boxing gloves. "Ya, great job Hitmonchan, it's about time!" He shouted as people cheered.

I made my way through the crowd, and was met with a look from James. "Well look who it is," he said. "Grey, is it? I'm sure you remember me, so no need for reintroductions. How about a battle?"

"Well I can't say no to a challenge can I? Three on three okay with you?" I asked, playing along with his cocky attitude

.

"Fine by me, let's get started. I'll start with Machop!" the small humanoid pokemon came out and stood in a battle stance. I knew I was at a disadvantage going against fighting types, but I knew exactly how to turn that around.

"Raven, let's go!" Raven popped out and swooped down towards his pokemon. Caycee snickered as the confidence left James' face.

"Machop, use Karate Chop!" James command as his Machop lunged at Raven.

"Dodge it Raven and use Brave Bird." Raven obeyed my order and charged at his pokemon, who went flying into a rock wall.

"Machop is unable to battle!" said the trainer who was acting as referee.

"How dare you use type to your advantage you cheater!" he said. I couldn't help but think 'look who's talking'! "Go Riolu! Use Ice Punch" his small blue pokemon hit Raven with a frozen fist, knocking him to the ground.

"Raven use Roost!" I commanded as my Murkrow landed and relaxed. I cringed when I had realized that I removed my pokemon's fighting type resistance.

"Use Force Palm!" Raven's rest was disrupted when Riolu shoved it hard. I returned Raven, knowing he was unable to battle.

I didn't want to resort to using Leo, and so I decided to use Hunter next. "Hunter, your up! Use Ember!" Hunter split out flames at the Riolu, who was badly burnt, but still conscious.

"Your pokemon can't deal with my fighting types, use Force Palm again, Riolu!" His pokemon hit my mine, but not with the same power as before, as the burn had reduced its offenses.

"Use Bite on its hand!" Hunter bit down on the Riolu's hand, locking the pokemon in place. "Now use Ember!" I commanded as the small jackal was burnt by an unavoidable direct hit.

"Riolu is unable to battle!"

"Hitmonchan, go!" James said angrily. "Use Meditate!" the pokemon meditated as I went in for the kill.

"Ember!" Hunter's flames landed but unfortunately the pokemon was too focused to notice. Our commands remained the same as he continued to Meditate and Hunter continued to use Ember.

The Hitmonchan suddenly opened its eyes as James commanded: "Use Mach Punch!" Hunter went flying back, as the meditation had boosted the Hitmonchan's attack to outstanding levels.

"Houndour is unable to battle!"

"C'mon Caycee!" I said as my Sneasel jumped out in front. "Use Punishment!"

"Use Close Combat Hitmonchan!" the two pokemon collided and suddenly Caycee's power exploded, knocking out the Hitmonchan.

"James, Punishment gets stronger the more the opponent has boosted its strength. This battle is over…"

"Dammit, but next time, I WIIL beat you!" he said as he stormed off. Everyone laughed as we made our way south to the pokemon center.

"Wow, Grey! You sure are strong!" Zoe said at one point.

"Haha, ya. Or James is just really cocky!" Aaron said.

Upon reaching the pokemon center, I was surprised to find out that James wasn't there. I had my pokemon healed up, and we all sat down to eat. While we were sitting, a girl and three guys came up to us. I recognized two of them as Lydia and Brine, my opponents in the first round of the doubles tournament on the S.S. Polaris.

"Hey Lydia, hey Brine!" Justin said, offering them seats next to us. Lydia seemed a lot friendlier than last time, and Brine was always friendly to begin with.

"Hey guys. I wanna introduce you to my friends," Lydia said pointing to the two guys behind her. This is Terris, a trainer and a ruin maniac. And this is Kyle Stone." The name clicked in my head, when I remembered what I heard earlier.

"Is your uncle Steven Stone?" I asked Kyle.

"Ya, how'd you know?"

"I met him this morning. He told me you were here to compete in the league."

"Ya, well I'll give it my best, maybe you and I can battle sometime," he said cheerfully.

"Yup, definitely."

Terris walked over to us next and said, "I'm heading back north to investigate the Ruins of Alph, does anyone want to join me?" Aaron and Zeji seemed very uninterested while Justin seemed too preoccupied to notice.

"I'll go, as long as we're back by midnight. We're headed through Union Cave tomorrow," Timber said, standing up.

"Well we're heading that way tomorrow as well, so why don't we all go together?" Brine suggested as Aaron snatched the last piece of chicken off the platter on the table.

"That sounds great," I said enthusiastically, after receive nods of approval from everyone else. "We'll head out around nine, okay?

"Sounds great." said Lydia.

"In that case, I'll join Timber and Terris tonight," Zoe said. "The ruins are supposed to be very interesting."

"Okay then. We'll see you guys later tonight. Have a good time."

After the three of them left, we all broke up into small groups for conversation. Justin and Lydia were too far away to hear, but Aaron, Zeji and Brine could be heard loud and clear.

"So Brine, you're a pokemon ranger right?" Zeji asked. "That's really cool, what do you do?"

"I save pokemon from danger just as police save people. I also form temporary pacts with pokemon rather than the permanent ones that pokeballs create."

I listened to Zeji and Aaron beg for more info, and laughed at how curious they were. Kyle turned to me, laughed and said: "They must make your adventure a lot more lively, eh?"

"Heh ya, they're pretty strong, actually. They compete in doubles tournaments. From what I heard you're pretty strong yourself."

Kyle laughed: "Haha ya, I saw your battle earlier, too. It got me itching for a battle, so how about it?"

"Your on." I said, as Caycee rubbed her claws together.

Everyone gathered outside to see the battle, even some strangers that none of us knew. I stuck with Caycee as he used Metang.

"Let's go, Metang, use Scary Face!" Kyle commanded as Caycee's movements were slowed down by Metang's intimidating glare. "I saw your punishment strategy before, Grey! But Punishment doesn't get stronger if your pokemon gets weaker. Now Metal Claw!"

"Ice Shard, Caycee!" I shouted. Caycee used an icicle to counteract Metang's Metal Claw. "Ice Shard will always be fast no matter what you do!"

"Oh ya? Bullet Punch, Metang!" Metang charged at Caycee, who prepared another Ice Shard. The two pokemon hit each other and knocked each other out.

"Great battle, Grey," Kyle said as he returned his Metang.

"Same to you, Kyle," I said, scooping up Caycee.

The two of us shook hands and headed back inside. We talked all night until we were too exhausted to talk anymore. Justin and I headed to our rooms and sat down.

"Was a long day, huh?" I asked. "We should get some sleep."

"Ya…I hope that Sudowoodo is alright. It looked pretty beaten up." Justin said. The two of us fell asleep, and I slept dreamlessly through the night.


	13. Chapter 13: The Cave of Remorse

_Team Radiance_

"Fine Silver, go finish them off. But bring the four others with you," said the boss.

Silver grinned and chuckled then turned to Vera, and said, "Just watch, mi amor. Those children will be beaten and I will be back before you can even launch your plan. Especially since I will meet up with the other four in Goldenrod first. With Crobat's speed, I will be there before sundown."

"Whatever Silver. Just make sure you actually win this time."

"Oh, trust me. They won't know what hit them."

Chapter 13: The Cave of Remorse

_Location: Union Cave Entrance Pokemon Center_

_356 Days until Silver Conference_

I crawled out of bed the next morning, and washed up to meet everyone downstairs. I was apparently the last one awake today as everyone else was already downstairs. Nurse Joy, Justin and Kyle were serving everyone else, so I sat down, yawned and waited for the food to come to me. Caycee, one the other hand, was wide-awake and went to play with Raichu, Aipom and Metang.

After serving us, Justin sat in between Zoe and I and turned to me and said: "Good Morning, Grey. You look tired, did you have trouble sleeping?"

"Ironically no I slept soundly, I think I'm just so exhausted from all the battles we fought." I turned to Kyle, who had just sat down. "When would you guys like to set out?"

Kyle checked his watch and said: "Around 30 minutes, if everyone is ready by then. If not let me know."

"Works for us," Aaron said. "I'm just going to grab my stuff,"

Timber responded by saying: "Ya I think we all should, so let's meet down here in 30 minutes." Everyone agreed and we returned to our respective rooms.

I headed up to my room with Justin and packed up my stuff, when Justin turned to me with a nervous look. "Is Union Cave at all dangerous?"

I chuckled and said, "Not compared to what we've been through so far, I hear it's a linear path with relatively weak pokemon. Man, you worry way to much."

"Ya I know…"

We met everyone by the front door about twenty minutes later. We headed out and walked over to the entrance, just feet from the pokemon center. As we walked into the cave, hundreds of Zubat flew overhead, startled by our entrance. "There are five paths here," Kyle said, "So why don't we split into pairs and try to find the exit. There is a path over that way, which has lots of wild pokemon, so why don't Zeji and Aaron head that way, since they have the least pokemon. I'm sure that Terris will want to head to the northern area to finish his research of the Ruins of Alph. Any volunteers to go with him?"

"I'll go with you Terris," Justin said, looking at the quiet researcher. "Of course, that's only if you don't mind."

"No it's fine, Justin…" Terris responded. Justin walked over to stand next to Terris. "If you want, uh… I think that there is a famous breeder studying the breeding habits of Sandshrew deeper towards the West." He said to Zoe and Timber, whose faces lit up.

"Great!" Zoe said, as she dragged timber over towards the west.

Lydia and Brine walked off towards the southeast. Lydia then turned and said "We'll cover the southeastern area, we'll call you if we find anything."

"Just you and me left, eh Grey? Kyle said. "We'll cover the center area."

"Okay, I'll see you guys later!" I shouted to my friends as we all walked off.

_Zeji and Aaron_

Zeji and Aaron walked around for a bit before bumping into any wild pokemon, and even then they didn't seem too interested in them. After a while they finally saw something that caught their eyes.

"Hello there," said the kind faced woman before them. "How would you two like one of these fossils? I've been fossil hunting in here so long that I've got a spare. The only problem is I've only got one."

"I want it!" they shouted in unison, before looking at each other with stubborn looks.

"You two could always battle for it," said the woman as he chuckled.

"Fine then, Zeji. How about a battle?" Aaron said with a cocky smile on his face.

"Let's go man! And let's go Spiritomb!" Zeji said eagerly sending out his ghost.

"Aron." Aaron sent out his own pokemon to counter Spiritomb. "Use Rock Throw!" Aron kicked a rock at a confused Spiritomb, who seemed unaware that he was supposed to be battling.

"Will-o-Wisp!" Zeji called out, causing Spiritomb to spit blue flames at the small armored pokemon. Aron used another rock throw that seemed greatly reduced in power. Spiritomb took both attacks, and then started to glow with a weird light. "Now Pain Split, Spiritomb!" Suddenly Aron jumped in pain as Spiritomb moved his damage to Aron. "Now finish it with Shadow Sneak!" Spiritomb then disappeared and attacked Aron from it's shadows, knocking it out. "Woohoo! Good job Spiritomb. Now return." Zeji took the fossil from the woman, thanked him and then fell to the ground.

_Timber and Zoe_

Timber and Zoe arrived at the research sight to find an unconscious man surrounded by worried Sandshrew. "Timber, who could have done this?" Zoe asked as the two looked around nervously.

"I don't know but let's stay on guard." Timber responded nervously. The two froze when a poisonous tentacle appeared before them.

"Welcome you two. I am Devan, Radiance Admin and the last man you'll ever see." The man cackled as Timber stood in disbelief.

"I thought that there were only three admins! What's going on?" Timber said, panicked. "Come out, Meditite. Use Zen Headbutt!"

The Tentacruel jumped back as it was hit by the powerful psychic move. Devan cackled once again, and then commanded his Tentacruel: "Use Hydro Pump." Tentacruel began to launch its attack as vines intercepted its attack.

"Sleep Powder!" Zoe commanded to her Tangela, who's pollen put the large jellyfish to sleep. "Now Constrict!" Vines bound both Devan and Tentacruel as the two breeders carried the unconscious man to safety.

_Lydia and Brine_

"Hello you two. I am Raiden of Team Radiance! Now Venasaur tear them apart and make it as painful as possible." A Venasaur jumped out of a pokeball, and attacked the two trainers.

"So you are the Team Radiance that Grey warned us about." Brine said smiling. "Quite dumb for people who cause so much trouble, aren't you. Duskull use Shadow Sneak." And with that both coordinators were pulled into the shadows.

"Damn they got away, I must blockade the exit." Raiden said as he ran off.

_Zeji and Aaron_

"What are you doing!" Aaron screamed at the woman, who had just hit Zeji in the back of the head with a rock. "Zeji! Are you Okay?" Aaron couldn't get to his partner as the girl stood in between them with a large solid looking, winged pokemon.

"My name is Risa, one of the seven Radiance Admins. And this is Aerodactyl. So sorry, I was hoping to not have to fight kids, but your in my way, pest. Aerodactyl, Ancientpower."

Rocks shot out at Aaron, who flinched and fell to the ground. When he looked up, he found that Aron had managed enough strength to get back up and block the attack. "A-Aron! No!"

Aerodactyl swooped in for one final attack. As Aaron braced himself, a strange glow began to shine from Aron as he grew larger and his back grew more rugged. Aerodactyl flew back when the newly evolved Lairon smashed into it with an Iron Head. "Lairon, yes! Perfect timing!" Aaron cheered as Aerodactyl moved in for a second attack. "Use Metal Burst!" Aerodactyl landed an attack on Lairon who then solidified himself and charged at him with incredible strength. "Perfect, Metal Burst retaliates an attack with 1.5 times the power! No matter how strong your Aerodactyl is, it can't beat its own attack with boosted power."

"Return Aerodactyl," Risa said, defeated. "Next time your mine, because I have this." Risa pulled out a brown slab that appeared to be made of stone. "The Stone Plate."

"Ah! Then you're the one who attacked that Sudowoodo! He almost died because of you!" Aaron yelled.

"Oh, it survived? Well, no matter, it doesn't affect me, its just one more pokemon to purify. But your pokemon are too tame, so don't think they will be spared!" She said as she ran off.

Aaron picked Zeji up, and put him on Lairon's back. "Can you handle that, Lairon?"

"Ron!" The pokemon said nodding.

"Good, now let's find the others."

_Justin and Terris_

Justin walked over to the ruins where Terris was hard at work. "How is it going? I'm sure the others are waiting for us it's almost sunset. Let's head back."

Terris glanced up at Justin and went to back his things. "Yes, you're probably right. Let us go then." He stood up next to Justin and the two proceeded to head towards the exit.

"Hmph, so you're all I have to deal with? Not a problem. Right, Electivire?" came a voice from above the pair, instantly grabbing their attention. Justin looked up and saw a man standing next to an Electivire. The man was dressed in a Radiance Admin's outfit.

"I-It can't be. There are only supposed to be three admins. Who are you?"

I am the barer of the Zap Plate, Treven!" Laughed the admin. "I am truly the strongest of all the admins. Say goodbye, both of you! Electivire, Thunderpunch!" The large pokemon jumped in front of Justin and swung at him. Justin froze, unable to react as the powerful impact closed in towards him. "Die!" Screamed Treven. "One down!"

_Grey and Kyle_

Kyle and I were riding through the water on his Wailmer. He was quite talkative and told me all about Hoenn. "My Uncle Steven was the person who brought battling into the spotlight in Hoenn. Before him, Contests were all the rage, especially since they were invented there."

We mostly talked about Hoenn, which really got me inspired about the region, although we eventually got on the subject of my failed Pokemon League challenge. "I can't believe you made it all the way through Kanto with only Caycee. I mean, Metang is strong, but I can't imagine doing that. Still, I imagine it was disappointing being turned away like that. I know how to keep that from happening again!" Kyle's eyes turned bright as he picked a pebble off his Wailmer's and tossed it into the water. A blue and orange fish-like pokemon with huge fangs jumped out and attacked us. "Well enjoy, a Carvanha! And look it can even balance on land, that's even better."

Caycee jumped off my back and swung at the Carvanha, who gracefully jumped back. "It's almost as if it has feet!" I exclaimed, as Caycee stood back up. "Well, here goes nothing. Caycee, Ice Shard, now!" The ice was too fast for Carvanha who almost fell off the whale. I through a pokeball at it, which shook, before finally clicking shut. "Oh, wow, I caught it. Thanks Kyle, but why'd you have to do that here?"

Kyle laughed and said: "Cause it was more fun that way. Besides we're here now, so lets meet back up with the others and get out of here."

"When we stepped outside we were stunned to see Zeji unconscious next to Aaron, Zoe, Timber, Lydia and Brine who were all shell-shocked. "What happened here?" I asked.

"Ah those idiots couldn't even beat you. Ah well, I will show mi amor that I can finish you all. So I guess I can handle this." Silver said as jumped down from the ledge above the cave's exit and walked over to us. "So who's first?"


	14. Chapter 14: The Well

Chapter 14: The Well

_Location: Route 33_

"So who's first?" Silver asked, glaring straight at me, as if he were trying to see through me. "Well out here is not the place to fight, so let's take this elsewhere, shall we?"

"Why should we?" I asked, squeezing Caycee tight. "There are people around now. If you attacked us here, you'd never get away with it. So why should we walk straight into an obvious trap?"

"Oh, I'm sorry. I must have given you the impression that you had a choice. Treven, bring them here."

A Radiance Admin along with an Electivire walk out of the cave, holding Justin and Terris. Lydia screamed as we all noticed the blood dripping off of Terris. He was unconscious, and looked to be savagely beaten. Silver looked at him and said: "Oh yes, him. He jumped in the way of that Electivire's attack in order to protect him." He pointed to Justin. "You can take him though, we only need, one hostage to get you to come down to the Slowpoke Well. It's due west of here, you can't miss it." Silver's Crobat took Justin from Electivire as Silver turned to Treven and motioned for him to leave. "Go join the others, Treven." The Electivire threw Terris at us as it and its trainer ran off. Kyle gave chase but was blocked by a Sludge Bomb from the Crobat who had risen into the air. "If you want your friend back then come to Slowpoke Well by sundown. Oh, and no more than two of you can come, or else.

"Wait!" I yelled, chasing the Crobat as it sped towards the west. I gave up once the Crobat was out of sight. People began crowding around Terris, trying to find a way to help him. "Call an ambulance!" I yelled.

The ambulance came, and told us that his wounds weren't that serious. Lydia and Brine rode towards Azalea with Terris, as both Zeji and the breeder were brought to the hospital.

"Go with them!" I said to Timber, Aaron and Zoe. "I know you all want to fight, but only two of us can go anyway. Kyle and I will get Justin and beat Silver, don't worry."

They all stared at me, obviously worried. "Okay." Timber said. "You two are the strongest out of all of us, so don't let us down."

"But..." Zoe protested. She stopped herself, shook her head and gave up. "Come back to us, Grey."

"Don't worry, Grey and Kyle will kick that purple-headed freaks ass." Aaron said, confidently. "They aren't about to lose."

Zoe smiled weakly and the three of them jumped into the ambulance. Kyle turned to me and said: "Okay, let's go!"

Kyle and I ran towards the town, following behind the ambulances that zipped by us. Right by the town's gates, we found a well sitting on a hill to the north. "That must be it," I said to him.

"Ya, no doubt about it. You ready, Grey?"

"Ya, let's do this!"

We climbed down into the well, and just as in union cave, a swarm of Zubat greeted us. This time, however, they didn't seem afraid, and actually seemed to be there for us. "Here they come!" Kyle yelled to me, pulling out a pokeball. "Let's go, Snorunt!" a small, triangular pokemon emerged from the pokeball. "Blizzard, now! Snorunt shot a cold blast of air from its mouth, causing all the Zubat to fall to the ground, frozen solid. Kyle then retuned Snorunt, and put the ball back on his belt.

An approaching applaud caught both our attention as Silver appeared from deep in the well. "Well, well. It seems that you two aren't as weak as I thought. But it ends here." Crobat then flew out from the shadows behind Silver and hovered in front of its master defensively. "Go, Crobat! Fly up towards the ceiling!" He commanded as his bat flew up high into the air. "Come now, let's fight in the sky, shall we? You wouldn't want your friend here to get hurt would you?"

"Justin!" I yelled as Silver pulled my friend out of the shadows. A Muk was holding him within its disgusting body.

"Don't worry, Grey. I'm fine for now. I'm not hurt, so just focus on fighting."

"Ya, c'mon, Grey." Silver said, mocking Justin. "You shouldn't be scared, since there are two of you and only one of me. So let's see what you two got."

I looked at Justin, who nodded at me confidently. "All right, Silver. You asked for it. Let's go, Raven!" I said, sending out my Murkrow. "Raven, our target is that Crobat flying over the water, if we don't win this, Justin is in trouble." Upon hearing that, Raven flew at maximum speed at Crobat, who knocked it away with a Wing Attack.

"Don't worry, Raven, Swablu will help you out!" Kyle said to my pokemon as he sent out a blue bird with cloud-like wings. "Use Dragon Pulse, knock out that Crobat!" Swablu shot a blue ball of energy towards Crobat, who dodged with ease.

"Now Crobat, use your Air Slash!" Swablu lost its balance as it attempted to evade the wind blade that hit it. "Now, Hypnosis!" Crobat stared into Swablu's eyes, followed by a sleeping Swablu suddenly falling towards the water below.

"Oh no! Wailmer, go and help!" Kyle said, as he sent out his large whale pokemon in a huge panic. Wailmer arrived just in time to stop Swablu from drowning. Swablu began to wake up, but was obviously too short of breath to continue fighting.

"One down! Now Hypnosis on the Murkrow!"

"Counter with Brave Bird!" I said to Raven who charged at the bat, unaffected by its gaze. "Raven's Insomnia ability protects it from your Hypnosis."

Silver's eyes momentarily widened, but quickly returned to his calm, smug state as he yelled: "Poison Fang!"

Suddenly, Raven was stuck in Crobat's fangs, yelping in pain. "Raven!" I yelled as Crobat spit it out towards the ground. "No! I won't make it! I said running to catch my falling pokemon. Muk tried to block my way but Caycee knocked it aside, simultaneously freeing Justin, who ran back over next to Kyle. "Raven!" I said as I continued to run towards my pokemon.

"Grey, catch!" Kyle said throwing a rock towards me. I caught it and looked at him curiously, while still panicked. "Hurry and throw the Dusk Stone at Raven!" I did as I was told, but right after throwing I felt a sharp pain in my back, followed by Caycee, Justin and Kyle screaming my name. I felt woozy and tired.

Crobat had bitten me.

_At the Hospital:_

"Both Zeji and the older gentleman you brought in are going to be ok." The doctor said. "They should be fine by tomorrow, but we'll want to monitor them tonight."

Aaron sighed in relief, but Lydia stood up and yelled: "What about Terris!"

_Slowpoke Well:_

I felt myself slipping away. Everything was growing dark, and I fell to the ground. I then heard the Crobat screech as it was brushed away by a large pokemon, which then flew in front of me, in hot pursuit of the fleeing Crobat. My friends ran over to me, as well as the injured Swablu, who began singing. I then slowly began to wake up and suddenly realized what had saved me. "Raven!" I yelled sitting up as my friends cheered in relief.

"Good job, Swablu. Your Heal Bell worked perfectly. Now take a rest." Kyle said, as he sent his Swablu back in its pokeball. Caycee hugged me tight as Justin and Kyle both smiled in relief. "Can you finish this, Grey?"

"Ya! Let's go Raven!" I commanded, as my newly evolved Raven flew by my side.

"No! I was supposed to kill you! I'll crush you all now! Crobat use Sky Attack!" Crobat began to glow red as it prepared to strike.

"Raven, Brave Bird!" I commanded as Raven charged with a blue aura. The Crobat collided with Honchkrow and they both disappeared between a thick cloud of dust. When the dust parted, only Raven remained airborne.

"No… Crobat!" Silver cried out in defeat. Return!" Silver looked around to see that he was surrounded. Justin's Rotom was blocking the ladder, Wailmer was blocking the water, Raven prevented him hiding deeper in the well, and Caycee was easily fighting off his Muk.

"You lose, Silver! Give it up!" Kyle said to nervous Silver.

Silver just stood there and chuckled, which eventually turned into a maniacal laugh. "Did you think this is all I had? I haven't even released the Plate's power yet! If I fuse Crobat with the Toxic Plate, you'll all b…"

Silver fell over as a shadowy figure appeared over him and knocked him out. The figure then grabbed Silver's pokeball and returned it, then picked up Silver and turned to me. "Grey…do not take this victory to mean you've won anything. The war has only just begun. I shall give you time to realize your foolishness, so that you may see the light before your demise at Team Radiance's hands."

"Wait! Who are you!" I yelled as both Justin and Kyle stood stunned, but as soon as I said it, he teleported away, along with Silver. Even the Toxic Plate was gone. "Dammit, he got away!" I said, just as Justin and Kyle returned their pokemon. "Raven…you did well. Return." My Honchkrow returned to its pokeball. Caycee clawed at me worriedly, and I patted her on the head. "I'm alright. Let's head back."

"Ya." Justin said as Kyle nodded.

_At the Hospital:_

We arrived back at the hospital just in time to hear the worst possible news.

"What about Terris!" Lydia was screaming.

The doctor looked away from and said: "I'm sorry, there was too much poison in his body, there was nothing we could do."

"No…" Lydia said, completely shocked, just as everyone in the room was. "No… he was attacked by… by an Elective… so how…?"

"Electivire? The venom was definitely from a Crobat bite. I'm truly sorry for your loss." The doctor said, as he walked away.

"Lydia…" Brine said worriedly, while crying over the loss of his friend.

Lydia collapsed as Kyle had just finished processing what he heard. He stood in shock for a moment and then stood up. He looked out the window, fists clenched and began to scream: "Cro...Cro...CROBAT!"


	15. Chapter 15: Falling Sky

Chapter 15: Falling Sky

_Location: Azalea Town Pokemon Center_

"Come on Justin, open the door!" I yelled, trying to get Justin to unlock the door. He, Lydia and Kyle had all isolated themselves after the doctor came back to tell us about Terris the previous evening. It was close to noon now, and we were all growing worried about our friends.

"I'm going to check on Kyle." Brine said as he got up and walked to Kyle's room at the other end of the hall.

I banged on Justin's door one more time and said: "Justin, you have to eat something. You've been in here with no food or water for nearly a day. Please let me in." Still he said nothing. "C'mon Justi…"

"Open the door, you sorry excuse for a coordinator!" Said a voice, filled with bitterness. Lydia stormed passed me and began to bang on the door. "You feel bad cause you were weak, and you had to have our friend protect you? Fine, that's your problem. What I won't allow is for you to waste away that same life he came to protect. I don't give a shit about you, but you better care about yourself, or else Terris' sacrifice means nothing. Now get your sorry ass out of bed."

Before I could say anything, Lydia stormed off towards her room. Before she could go in, however, Brine ran up to us in a panic and said: "Kyle's gone!"

"What! Where did he go!" Lydia asked, equally flustered.

"I…I don't know!"

"Well, we have to find him!" Lydia screamed, running out the door. "Grey, you stay with the crybaby. Everyone else, come with me." Zeji, Aaron, Timber, Zoe, and Brine all followed behind her, after I nodded to them that I was okay. It would give me more time to work on cheering Justin up anyway.

I decided to go get us more food at the local bakeshop, and headed downstairs. As I walked outside, I felt a bump on my head, and fell to the ground. "Ow, what the hell?" I said as I stood back up. I looked around and all I saw nothing but apricorns littering the ground.

Having not seen anything, I continued on, heading down the street and hitting the bakeshop. When I got inside, I grabbed a bunch of snacks and went to checkout. While I was paying, a small purple-haired boy walked over to me and asked: "Are you Grey?"

"Yes. Do I know you?" I asked back.

"Oh, sorry. My name is Bugsy, and I'm the Gym Leader here. I was told to watch for someone with a pink Sneasel, and to let him have a Plate Match. Are you free today?"

I looked down and said: "Today's not the best day. I may need a few days. Besides I only have five pokemon, I still need one more."

Bugsy looked at me and thought for a second. "I actually need to go out of town for a few days, and I'm leaving tomorrow night, so if at possible I hope to see you by tomorrow. As for a sixth pokemon, you can find lots of pokemon in the Ilex Forest just west of town. It was nice meeting you, and I hope things get better soon." He walked away and I finished paying for the food. I was holding up the line, and people didn't seem too happy.

_In the Slowpoke Well_

"Use Bullet Punch, now!" Kyle commanded as his Metang savagely struck swarm the wild Zubat. Lydia approached him as he continued to bark orders at his pokemon.

"Kyle, what are you doing?" She asked as everyone stood behind her.

Kyle continued to face away from the group, and then returned his Metang and said. "I just don't want to be weak enough to allow that to happen again. I want to be stronger."

"I know," Brine interjected. "But this isn't the way to do it. You snuck out of your room, and are working your pokemon to the bone, all while attacking innocent wild pokemon. Kyle, there are better ways to mourn, and your not weak at all. Just come back and rest."

"Please…" Lydia begged softly.

Kyle stood in thought, and then walked towards the ladder. "I know. I just needed to vent. I need some sleep though. So let's go."

_Azalea Pokemon Center_

As I turned the corner to return to the pokemon center, I felt the same pressure on my head, and once again fell to the ground. "What's going on?" I asked no one in particular. "Is the sky falling?"

I rubbed my head and went back inside, back up the stairs, and approached Justin's room. I was surprised to see the door was unlocked, and as I walked in, I was more surprised to see everyone, including Kyle talking to him. Justin walked over to me and said: "I'm sorry, about everything. I just felt like it was my fault. But Kyle helped me realize that I can't blame myself for everything, cause he was doing the same thing. So I'm sorry for worrying you guys so much."

"Don't worry about it, I'm just glad you're yourself again." I then turned to Kyle and asked: "What about you, are you okay?"

"I will be. The three of us are flying to Lavender Town in a few hours to bring him to his parents. We're gonna stay there to make sure their okay, but we'll probably be back in Johto within a month or so. And when we get back, you better believe we'll help take those Radiance punks down."

We talked more about Terris while they waited for their cab to arrive, and I learned that he came from a family of psychic type trainers, and had an Abra at home waiting for him. When the subject shifted to how I was spending my day, however, everyone's attitude changed.

"What! You have to battle Bugsy tomorrow! I know it's sad, but Terris died fighting Team Radiance. Putting off your gym match would only serve to waste time in stopping them." Kyle announced, furiously. "So you better fight, and you better as hell win tomorrow as well. And you don't even need to go into the forest, I'm sure you could borrow a pokemon from one of these guys. So please promise you won't delay this battle."

"Okay…" I said, as he shook my hand. "I guess I have no choice. So now just to figure out what to do about my final pokemon."

Honking occurred outside as the taxi pulled up to the pokemon center. "Well, that's our ride." Brine said, as he shook my hand as well. "We'll be back before you know it, just you wait and see."

Brine and Kyle turned away and Lydia nodded to us as the three all left. We walked out the door to wave them off, as something very strange happened once again.

This time, however, I slipped in a puddle on the ground, just before the pokemon had a chance to bonk me on the head. The acorn pokemon landed on my lap as I sat on the ground, baffled. "So you were the one who has been hitting me all day, huh? Well please stop, I'm running out of brain cells." I chuckled as I put the pokemon down. The pokemon then hobbled off, and I then realized why it had been dropping on top of me in front of a pokemon center all day. "Timber, I think that Seedot needs medical attention, it looks pretty beaten up." And almost as if on cue, the small pokemon collapsed next to me as I screamed to my friends: "Get help!"

The pokemon looked up at me as my friends ran inside to get the nurse. The poor thing looked horribly beaten, and I hadn't even noticed it all day. Caycee laid her cold claw on the Seedot's forehead to cool it off. The nurse soon came in and took the small pokemon away from me, as I ran inside to see what was happening.

After an hour or so passed, a doctor came out and told us: "The Seedot will be alright. It's quite young and was probably attacked by predatory pokemon. Seedots are rare around here, as they evolved quickly and are often the target of bird pokemon. This Seedot must have been left behind, most likely for being the runt of its litter. It will be fine, as it knows Synthesis, and will most likely be fully recovered by morning. I just hope that he can survive by himself." She walked off and everyone looked at me to see my response.

"Oh don't even bother with those looks guys, of course I'm not leaving the Seedot to die. I'll bring it with us."

"That's great Grey, but can you afford to do that?" Timber asked. "You need six pokemon for tomorrow, and I don't know how much use this Seedot will be to you in battle. Like the doctor said, it's only a baby."

"Then I'll just have to win using five pokemon, now won't I. I need six pokemon to battle, but that doesn't mean I need to send all six out." Zoe, Aaron and Justin all nodded, but Zeji and Timber seemed to remain skeptical. "Don't worry, I can do this."

The conversation was left at that, and we all soon headed up to bed. As I slept, I had a visit from Darkrai, who I actually looked forward to talking to.

"Grey, do not let Terris' death stop you. I know you still hold some pain in your heart, as it is to fresh to recover from. But you are now more powerful then ever before, the six pokemon on your team have gathered and it is time for you to march forth. Gather the Plates, defeat the Gym Leader, vanquish Team Radiance, and save everyone. Now go Grey, your dark army awaits you."

I woke up suddenly, after Darkrai gave his speech. "So much for being able to talk with him," I said to myself. It was still only 4 am, but I decided to go check on Seedot anyway. I found him playfully jumping up and down one of the doctor's books. "Is it alright if I take him now?" I asked the doctor.

"Yes, he's actually completely healed. Stunning how quickly Synthesis works its magic."

I picked the Seedot up, and said: "Would you like to stick with me?" The Seedot's eyes lit up. "Okay then, your name is Bentley." I tapped Bentley with the pokeball, and watched as he got captured without resistance. Naming him reminded me that I never named my Carvanha, and so I headed back to my room, where I let all five of my pokemon out of their pokeballs, and woke Caycee from her slumber.

"This is it guys. It's up to us to stop Team Radiance. The seven of us are a team, and nothing will ever change that. Caycee, Raven, Leo, Hunter, Bentley, and…" I paused to think of a name, as my Carvanha waited patiently to hear it. "And Finn. The first thing we need to do is beat Bugsy. Are you all ready?" I guess I was expecting too enthused a reaction, but it would have been nice if they were all paying attention. Caycee and Leo both paid careful attention, while Hunter was barking at himself in the mirror, Bentley laid comfortably in the hat-shaped appendage on Raven's head, and Finn was dancing around enthusiastically about having a name. (Yes I was still stunned that I had a Carvanha who could not only balance on its lower fin, but could dance on it as well). Well they weren't perfect, but they were my teammates.

A few hours later, my friends, my team and I all walked proudly to the gym, walked through the doors, and found Bugsy. The boy chuckled and said: "I knew you'd come."

I smiled and my six pokemon posed confidently as I said: "Of course. Bugsy, you're going down."


	16. Chapter 16: Bugging Out

Chapter 16: Bugging Out

_Location: Azalea Town Gym_

"This will be a full six versus six battle, with both a Hive Badge, and the Insect Plate at the stake. Both the challenger and the Gym Leader will be allowed to freely switch pokemon. Now begin!"

"Alright, let's start now." Bugsy said, reaching for a pokeball in his pocket. "Go, Yanmega!" A green dragonfly pokemon appeared before me and soared through the air at incredible speed.

"A bug pokemon, huh?" Timber said from the stands. "This could be trouble."

"Trouble?" Zeji asked. "Why's that? Grey has a flying-type pokemon and a fire-type pokemon."

"Yes, but bugs have an advantage over dark-type pokemon. I just hope that Grey is prepared."

Unfortunately, I wasn't. "Well better start strong, then." I turned around to my team, whom were all standing behind me. "Caycee, your up." My Sneasel ran in front of me obediently and the match began. "Use Ice Shard!" My Sneasel through an icicle straight at Yanmega, who fell to the ground.

"Yanmega, get up!" Yanmega rose up from the ground at Bugsy's orders and charged at Caycee. "Now use AncientPower!" Out of nowhere, a bunch of rocks appeared and rushed towards my Sneasel who went flying towards me.

"Damn! Caycee, come back!" Caycee got up and rushed to my side as I decided which pokemon to use next. "Finn, you're up." Finn jumped out in front of me and tilted side to side on its fin. "Use Aqua Jet!"

"Quick dodge it and use Bug Buzz, Yanmega!" Bugsy shouted in vein. Finn's speed was too much and Yanmega collapsed on the ground.

"Yanmega is unable to battle. The winner is Carvanha!"

"Very good start, but it's only going to get harder now. Go, Pinser!" The stag beetle charged at Finn.

"Finn, come here." Finn jumped back behind me and as Raven readied for action. "Alright! Go Raven, show them your Brave Bird."

"Guillotine!" My Honchkrow charged at the bug, only to get ensnared in its pincers. "Crush it!" Pinser tightened its grip until Raven lost consciousness.

"Honchkrow is unable to battle, and Pinser is the winner!" 

I didn't know what to do. I lost my trump card this early, and I hadn't even landed a single attack with him. I still had Hunter but I wanted to save him for later if at all possible. "Well, Leo are you ready?" Leo ran forward, growling at the bug. "Use Stone Edge!"

"Dodge and use X-Scissor Pinser!" Pinser avoided the rocks that flew towards it and slashed at Absol knocking him back. Now use Rock Tomb!" Rocks fell all around Leo, trapping him. "Now another X-Scissor."

"Stone Edge!" The rocks knocked Pinser away, all the way into the wall behind Bugsy.

"Pinser is unable to battle! The winner is Absol!"

"Wow! Grey's doing great!" Zoe exclaimed as I took the lead.

Timber rubbed his chin and said: "I think Bugsy is just getting started. Don't think Grey has won just yet."

"Heracross, it's your turn!" Bugsy exclaimed. A beetle pokemon with a massive horn popped out. "Fire off a Megahorn!" The pokemon charged at Leo, who was two weak to dodge in time.

"Leo!" I yelled, as my pokemon collapsed.

"Absol is unable t-"

Leo stood back up just in time and charged at Heracross. "Great job. Now use Superpower!" Leo knocked Heracross back with a huge attack, leaving the pokemon injured.

"Heracross, take a break." Bugsy said, as he returned his pokemon. "Now we'll have some fun. Go, Shedinja!" A pokemon floated lifelessly out of the ball, and Leo began to tremble under the effects of its Superpower.

"W-what is that." I said, shocked. "Hurry and use Superpower!" Leo pounced at pokemon, but flinched as his attack failed to land at all.

"X-Scissor!" Bugsy shouted as the pokemon finally moved to swing at Leo. Leo collapsed with the force of the impact and was finally brought down.

"Absol is unable to battle! Shedinja is the winner!"

"It's a ghost?" I asked in shock.

"That's right, and that's not all there is to it. Let's continue." Bugsy said smugly.

"Alright, you asked for it. Finn, let's go!" Finn came back out and I shouted. "Surf, now!" Finn summoned a huge puddle of water that flooded the field. "That should finish that shell." I said. As the water cleared, I gasped as I saw the pokemon unharmed.

"X-Scissor!" Once again the pile of skin knocked out my pokemon.

"Carvanha is unable to battle. Shedinja is the winner!"

"This is odd…" Timber said curiously.

"What's up?" Aaron asked.

"Well, Shedinja's ability Wonder Guard protects it from all attacks that it is not weak to, but in exchange, it is downed by any form of damage. Finn's ability, Rough Skin, should have inflicted enough damage to it to finish it off."

"I think I might know what it is." Justin said pointing at the pokemon. Look at its neck. It's wearing a Focus Sash."

"Ah, I see! That prevents it from being taken down in one hit, and since it only is able to take one hit, that sash makes it invincible." Zoe exclaimed.

"But that's not fair!" Zeji said. "How does Grey win then?"

"We'll have to see." Timber said.

I already remembered the information about Wonder Guard that I learned from a Nincada breeder I met a few years back, but I did notice the sash only after my friends mentioned it. "Caycee, I need you to come here." Caycee walked over to me, and I whispered in her ear. She nodded and jumped out in front of me. Alright, let's go!"

"Use Shadow Sneak!" Bugsy commanded. Shedinja jumped into its shadow and reappeared next to Caycee.

"Aerial Ace! I said with a smile. Caycee disappeared, and smacked into the pokemon, cutting the sash it was wearing."

"Oh no!" Bugsy said. "Hurry use X-Scissor!"

"Oh no you don't! Punishment, Caycee!" Caycee smashed Shedinja into the ground, without any resistance.

"Shedinja is unable to battle! Sneasel is the winner!"

Bugsy returned his pokemon and then reached for another pokeball. "Alright, All tied up again! Vespiquen, finish him!" A huge bee came out, with a large number of smaller bees surrounding it. "Attack Order!" A swarm of bees charged at Caycee, who moaned in pain with each sting. Caycee jumped backwards to avoid taking more damage. "Now, Defend Order!" The bees began to surround their queen, fortifying her defenses.

"Caycee, Ice Shard!"

"Defend Order again!" My attack shattered upon hitting the swarm, failing to go anywhere near Vespiquen.

"Ice Shard again!"

"Defend Order!"

"Again! More Ice Shards!"

"We can do this all day, Grey, but your just giving me time to fortify my defenses. Now Attack Order!"

I smiled and said: "Goodbye, Vespiquen." All the bees died off as Caycee swung at the queen with huge force. Vespiquen fell to the ground, completely defeated.

"Vespiquen is unable to battle. The winner is Sneasel!"

"But…how?" Bugsy muttered, shocked at the situation.

"Punishment grows in power the more powerful a pokemon makes itself. You aren't the only one with a trick up his sleeve." I said. "Now just two more."

"Heracross finish this, teach him some humility." Heracross came back out, as Caycee posed for battle. "Grey, You are facing the bug expert. You won't win, not the Plate."

"Too bad, Bugsy. I can't lose either. Now let's see who's stronger. My darks or your bugs."

"Fine. Use Close Combat!" Heracross swung at Caycee at full force, knocking her all the way into my arms.

"Sneasel is unable to battle. The winner is Heracross!"

"Caycee, you alright?" Caycee looked weakly at me, nodded, and passed back out. I ran over to the stands and handed Caycee to Justin. "Don't worry Caycee, I'm not going to lose." I ran back down and pet Hunter on the head. "You ready, boy?" Hunter barked, and took his place staring into the angry Heracross' eyes. "Use Ember!"

Hunter fired a small amount of flames at Heracross, who charged at him at full speed, ignoring the flames. "Close Combat!" Heracross began to knock Hunter around, until Hunter's fangs began to glow with fire.

"Yes, Hunter just learned Fire Fang! Now get him." Hunter bit down on Heracross' fist, as the flames consumed the two pokemon. When the flames died down both pokemon were unconscious.

"Both Heracross and Houndour are unable to battle!"

"No… but that means…" I said, looking down at my last pokemon. "Bentley, I can't let him battle. I have to surrender. It's ove-".

"Dot!" My 9 inch tall pokemon said, bopping me on the head.

I rubbed my head and watched him walk in front of me. I returned Hunter, and said to Bentley: "Are you sure?" My Seedot bopped its body forward, imitating a nod, and then turned back to fight.

"Really? That tiny little thing is gonna go up against my strongest pokemon? Well, Scizor…" Bugsy said, sending out his large, red bug, "Try not to beat it too badly. "Bullet Punch!" Scizor sent a wave of punches at Bentley, who just stood their taking it. "Now, X-Scissor!" Again my pokemon did nothing to defend itself, and just took the attack.

"Bentley, Run!" Bentley looked back at me, and I could tell what his plan was. "Okay, I get it. Just one more hit, okay?" Bentley turned back towards his opponent who stared down at him.

"Finish it with Superpower!" I flinched when I saw Scizor unleash its full strength on my poor Bentley. Bentley went flying backwards, just barely surviving the hit. "Still standing, huh? Bullet Punch!"

"You're too late, Bugsy." I said, as my Seedot began to glow. "Bentley, release your Bide!" Bentley fired all the energy it had absorbed back at Scizor, who collapsed from receiving double the damage he inflicted.

"Scizor is unable to battle. Seedot is the winner. The battle goes to the challenger, Grey!"

"He won!" Zoe exclaimed, as everyone cheered.

"Well, duh!" Zeji said, as they all came down to congratulate me.

We all walked outside while waiting for Bugsy. When he came back, he handed me a ladybug-shaped badge, and a green colored plate. "Here, the Hive Badge, and the Insect Plate. That was a great battle, and I'm sorry if I got a bit nuts in there. I would wish you luck in your battles, but I don't think you'll need it."

"Thanks Bugsy, it was a great match. And I got a lot out of it too. Hunter learned a new move, and Bentley and Finn both won their first fight. Right guys?" My pokemon, who were lined up behind me, all cheered in joy over their victory, as Bugsy waived us off.

"So what now?" Timber asked. "Shall we head back to the pokemon center?"

"No you'll all be coming with me," said a voice from behind us that stopped us dead in our tracks.

I looked into the face of death, or rather, the man who defeated death. "You're…"


	17. Chapter 17: Burst from the Flames

Chapter 17: Burst from the Flames

"You seem to be doing well, Grey." The figure in front of me said, extending his hand.

"G! You're alive!" I said, happy, but still stunned. Half his face was burnt, but otherwise, he seemed fine. "How did you make it out of there?"

"I will explain, just come to the pokemon center. I will meet you all there." He said, walking away. We all looked at each other, nodded and proceeded to follow him.

When we arrived at the pokemon center, the others went to sit around G, as I brought Caycee and my five pokeballs up to the nurse. Upon returning to the table to sit down, I found everyone waiting for me silently. My friends all stared up at me, waiting for me to speak. I tried my best but all I could muster was: "H-How…?"

"The Radiance Admins didn't care about hunting me." G responded, rubbing his burnt face. They left me to die in the flames of the laboratory, assuming I wouldn't be able to escape. I made my exit shortly after they left." We all stared, completely absorbed by what he was telling us. "I passed out soon after. I thought I was done for but, then miss champion here came to my rescue."

We all looked up in the direction and I smiled. "Cynthia!" Zeji shouted excitedly.

We all got up to shake her hand but she just chuckled and said: That's not necessary. Besides, I believe G was still speaking."

"No, it's okay. So who is this young lady?" G asked with a gentle smile running across his grotesque face.

"I'm Zoe, nice to meet you." She said, offering the man her hand and smiling.

"While you to get acquainted, I need to talk to Grey privately." Cynthia said gesturing me over to a private table. We sat down and she looked at me with a smile on her face. "Grey, how many pokemon do you have?"

"Six, why?" I asked.

"Do you plan on catching anymore?" She asked, with increasing concern.

"I would love to, but I couldn't bare the thought of not keeping my whole team with me."

"Well, what if I told you that you could catch more pokemon, and still keep your whole team on you at once? Would you be interested in that?"

"Um, ya!" I said enthusiastically.

Cynthia went into her bag and pulled out several items; a rusty old belt, a giant diamond, a wooden flute, and a mechanical lens. I looked at her quizzically as she picked up the belt. "Grey, this is the key to expanding your team. It is called the expansion belt, and it will allow you to keep an entire storage box on you at all times, which means…"

"Which means I will be able to carry up to thirty-six pokemon at once, right?" I asked.

"Exactly! Now there are some restrictions on its use, but right now it's a moot point." She responded with a sigh, putting the belt down.

"What do you mean?"

Cynthia picked up the flute and handed it to me. "We need to bring this flute to Ilex Forest, due west of here. If we leave now, we can hopefully take care of everything we need to, and come out in Goldenrod City in three days."

"Now? But Zeji and Aaron are in a doubles tournament tomorrow, I promised I'd be there to watch this time." I said adamantly.

"I'm sorry, but this is important training. And we need the two-day head start if you want to emerge from the forest the same day as them. You don't want to keep them waiting, and frankly, I don't think we can afford to. Team Radiance can strike again at any time, and this is only one of four training sessions you will go through."

"Training sessions?" I asked, still completely confused.

"Yes." She said as I returned the flute to her. "During the Champion's Council it was decided that the region would be divided between me and my fellow champions, remember?" I nodded. "Well this was done in order for us not only for us to monitor the region, but to monitor you as well. Each has an important skill to teach you that most trainers wouldn't be able to accomplish. And each of us have set up training areas, as well as acquired the assistance of other trainers to help move your progress along. My friend has a small cottage in the forest, which we need to reach by nightfall, leaving us only about eight hours to finish what we need to tonight. Do you understand?"

"I guess. What you're saying is that you have something to teach me, as do the other champions, and we're going into Ilex forest to do it. Is that right?"

"Yes but we have a second reason for entering the forest. The belt is unusable in this condition, and the only way to restore it lies in the Ilex Shrine. So if you understand, we should get going as soon as your team is healed up. I'll meet you by the forest entrance. I need to stock up on supplies. Is that alright?"

"Sure. I guess Zeji and Aaron will understand, but can I ask what the lens and diamond are for?"

"Oh, you'll see soon enough." She said, walking away.

After explaining myself to my friends I walked out of the pokemon center and headed towards the forest. G volunteered to escort them through the forest after the doubles competition, so I felt assured to know that a powerful trainer was with them.

As I walked through the West Azalea Gate, Cynthia came over to me along with another trainer. "Grey, this is Will. He is one of Johto's Elite Four."

The masked stranger bowed and shook my hand. "It's an honor to make your acquaintance. I will be assisting you with your training."

"Nice to meet you, Will. So where are we going to be training?"

Cynthia gestured for us to start walking while she answered. "Deep in the forest, there is a shrine known to be a place used to pray to the forest guardian, Celebi. We need Celebi's help in order to restore the Expansion Belt and the Miracle Eye."

"Miracle Eye? Is that the lens you showed me earlier?" I asked as I picked Caycee up and let her climb on my back.

"Yes!" Will said enthusiastically. "I crafted it myself. For now, it would be far too confusing to explain it. Let us just take this training one step at a time."

"Alright…" I conceded.

We kept walking for several more hours, and I kept embarrassing myself by jumping at every Zubat that flew by. Eventually, we reached a large tree that blocked our way.

"Go ahead and chop down the tree, Grey." Cynthia said to me, as she pulled out a pokeball.

"Um, okay. Caycee use Aerial A-"

"Garchomp, use Dragon Rush!" Cynthia shouted, as her Garchomp charged forward. Before I could register what was happening Caycee, was knocked out by the Dragon Rush.

"What are you doing!"? I yelled as I picked up Caycee. "Are you insane!"

"Sorry, Grey, but this is part of your training. In order to knock down this tree, you have to defeat Garchomp. And that means without any pokemon."

"What!" I screamed, as her Garchomp turned towards me.

"Dragon Rush!" I jumped out of the way before Garchomp's tail hit me. I moved Caycee out of the line of fire and stood facing Cynthia.

"If I can't use any pokemon, how do you expect me to take down a pokemon as strong as Garchomp? I'm only human."

"Well then," Will interrupted. "Just become more than human."

"How! I can't do that on a whim!"

Cynthia scowled at me and yelled: "This is no time to doubt yourself!" Just do it, don't think about it! Garchomp, use Earthquake!" Garchomp's attack caused split and me to lose my balance as the ground shook. I jumped back up and ran to protect Caycee but it was unnecessary. Five beams of light shone from my waist as my pokemon released themselves from their pokeballs to protect Caycee and I.

"Soool." Leo growled. My Absol then pounced towards Garchomp swing at it with its blade.

"Leo, stop!" I screamed in panic. "We can't attack them or else we fail."

"Absoooool!" My Absol growled as it walked over to Caycee, then glared back up at me.

"Leo, that's right. It doesn't matter who you are, Cynthia. Nobody hurts my pokemon. Leo let's do this!" I said as my Absol readied for battle.

"Garchomp, return." Cynthia said, returning her pokemon. "I'm sorry for attacking Caycee. It seems as though you are a hero after all. You trusted and cared for your pokemon above all else. Here, take this." Cynthia walked over to me and handed me the flute from earlier. "This is the Time Flute. If you play it up ahead, we should be able to have Celebi come and restore the Expansion Belt and Miracle Eye. Then your training can begin."

"But why did you attack me!" I asked still completely pumped with adrenaline.

"I had to put you in a stressful position where you would feel that both you and your pokemon were in danger. Not only did you protect Caycee, but all your pokemon came to aid you two as well. Your Absol went so far as to charge at my Garchomp, even though it knew it would likely lose."

"Okay, but don't we still need to remove this tree?" I asked.

Cynthia nodded towards Will who snapped his fingers. The tree then vanished, only to be replaced by a green bird with white wings and a blank stare. "The tree was an illusion casted by my Xatu." Will said as he returned the bird. "We needed an obstacle in order to test you."

"If he's ready now then have him follow me." I looked around trying to figure out who it was who just spoke, but to no avail.

"Lilly, I think you're confusing him." Cynthia laughed. "Come down here."

The blue-haired girl then descended from the trees. She was wearing a green dress, which looked uncomfortable for someone to wear while swinging through trees. She looked at me and said: "I'm Lilly, the Goldenrod City Gym Leader. I'm also in charge of protecting this forest. Please follow me to the Ilex Shrine."

We walked for about 10 minutes until we reached a small wooden shrine. "Play the Time Flute, Grey." Cynthia said.

"I don't know how to play the flute though." I responded, slightly embarrassed.

"Don't worry, this flute just requires a single blow. It plays itself, since it only has one purpose." Cynthia placed the Expansion Belt on the shrine and backed away. "Now go ahead."

I lifted the time flute to my mouth and blew into it. A short tune rang out of it and the wind suddenly picked up. A bright light appeared in front of us, and when it subsided, there were two pokemon in front of us.

"Celebi…" I said. "I need your help."

* * *

"Down goes the Gym Leader!" Vera laughed as her Gengar claimed victory over another. The blonde haired trainer fell to the ground in pain as Vera's Gengar hit him with a Shadow Ball. "I'll be taking that Spooky Plate now, Morty."


End file.
